I have 2 questions again as the green rookie I am…

dirkwood

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Apr 11, 2013
Messages
46
Reaction score
1
Points
31
Location
Whitney
I have 2 dumb questions again as the green rookie I am…
  1. How long does it take to get a Dexter steer ready to be butchered?
  2. Are there any diseases what could make them not good or dangerous for consumption.Thanks.
 

boothcreek

Loving the herd life
Joined
Nov 13, 2010
Messages
300
Reaction score
25
Points
186
Location
BC, Canada
Like most large beef breeds, 16-18 months is usually the Ideal age to butcher a Dexter, we do ours around that age.

As for disease, I haven't encountered anything yet out of small-farm beef that would condemn a carcass other than Cancer since I have been working at our local slaughter facility. And raising our Dexters for 12 yrs now haven't had any sign of illness ever.
Parasites may leave liver/kidneys/lungs unusable tho.
 

dirkwood

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Apr 11, 2013
Messages
46
Reaction score
1
Points
31
Location
Whitney
TY boothcreek …appreciate it…Reason I asked is that I am having my first 2 steers soon and one is already one year old and was hoping he should be ready to butcher next year spring so I can replace him with another at that time.
 

jhm47

True BYH Addict
Joined
Sep 26, 2008
Messages
1,390
Reaction score
178
Points
228
Location
Extreme NE South Dakota
As to when to butcher--- a lot depends on their diet. If you try to skimp on their feed, they can take years.
 

bnttyra

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Oct 16, 2012
Messages
33
Reaction score
7
Points
31
Location
Benson, AZ
Our steer this year will be 17 months when he heads to the fair. Now ours is a lowline but similar size so I would think a Dexter would finish out about the same time. I have read that lowlines and crossed with dexter can finish out sooner and I guess we will test that next year when the steers will be closer to 15 months at fair time.

I too haven't heard of any diseases that would make the meat uneatable. As long as you have the vaccinated and dewormed before the withdrawal time frame you should be good.
 
Top