Post by AnnB (NE) on Nov 23, 2014 10:05:35 GMT -5
A few generalities are being made that are incorrect by people who have either never owned a bull or more specifically have never owned a dexter bull. They are a totally different breed of cat. ;-)
We have only rarely kept an Angus or black baldy bull. And never a Holstein bull when we had Holsteins - just not safe.
That said, dexter bulls are MUCH easier to deal with. And if they aren't, they should be. Any that aren't go directly to the freezer, both for safety sake and because those genetics should not be perpetuated.
We currently have 2 mature dexter bulls. We keep two bulls because we breed both chondro and non chondro Dexters. They are EASY on fencing... We rotationally graze ours with 36" tall poultry electro netting. And the hay consumption someone above mentioned is way high. They eat less than half a standard size animal does. We feed hay for 90-120 days a year and the remainder of the year they get only grass.
My husband, who has the scars to prove how dangerous other bulls can be, will tell you he was skeptical about keeping a dexter bull. The fact that we now have two speaks volumes. Do your research and talk to people who own dexter bulls. I highly encourage you to consider it simply because relying on other bulls or AI is simply something we personally did not want to depend on. Yes, you should always remember they are bulls and never take that for granted. But temperament is one of the qualities a dexter should be bred for and keeping a bull has been no different than keeping steers or cows here.
The OP is not talking about a Dexter bull! They are talking about a Mini Belted Galloway - which I have had, and the temperament is the same as Mini Jersey (and why not? Mini Jersey was used to make the Belted Galloway a mini).
Ann B