About Dexter Cattle
Dexter cattle originate from Ireland being one of the smallest breeds in cattle. Dexters are not miniature they are a naturally small breed, they are well known for their production of good quality of meat and milk, there intelligence and calm nature.
What to look for when buying a Dexter |
Dexter FeaturesDexter cattle have a few distinctive features for starters there are short-leg and long-leg Dexters. Fenella's Smalltime Jelly Bean is a short-leg bull. The short-leg Dexters is a dwarfing gene called chondrodysplasia,both short-leg and long-leg Dexter's should be judged equally when shown. The short-leg and long-leg is not based on height at all.
Dexter cattle come in three colours black, red and dun. Black is the most dominant colour our of all three so it is most common to get a black Dexter, red would be second dominant the colour isn't too rare at all and lastly is dun (dirty blonde), this colour is quite rare and is hard to come by. The breed is naturally horned, there horns are white with black tips. The polled gene has been introduced as a part of grading and selection of breed. These days calves a disbudded a couple of days old to prevent horns from growing. Cattle with horns will be the leader of the herd, they will be first in the trough/feeder. (Below is a Dun horned cow - Bircham Toffee) |
Dexters are a dual purpose breed, with both meat and dairy qualities. The head should be short and broad muzzle with good, open nostrils.
The height of the Dexter cattle and allowed for the standard of the breed is:
Cows: 91 centimeters and 112 centimeters
Bulls: 97 centimeters and 117 centimeters
Height should be taken at the age of three years or more when the animal has reached mature age.
Horns are white with black tip, should be moderately thick with an inward and upward curve. Though the polled gene is equally acceptable along with horned and de-horned.
Shows and JudgingDexters have awed the show rings world wide for over a century, the first Australian show the Dexter breed attended was the Melbourne Royal Show. The preparation and dedication the handlers put into the breed is something to really be appreciated, breeders see it as a part of their own marketing as well as promoting the Dexter Breed.
Shows provide a lot of benefits for the stud owners and the on goers of the show. Shows provide opportunity for stud owners to be judged against there piers and to receive invaluable information for breeders to use in improving and developing breeding for the future. there is also opportunity for owners to socialize with owners of other breeds of cattle. Show dates will always be promoted on websites and newsletters of the Dexter cattle. |
HistoryThe Dexter breed has a long history, being one of the oldest known breeds of cattle the modern Dexters hold true to the type even today having remained unchanged for centuries.
Dexter cattle originated from South West Ireland. The first herd of Dexter Cattle in Australia were imported by the Syme family around the 20th century and were first shown at the Royal Melbourne Show in 1894. A college called Hawkesbury in NSW also maintained Dexters for the dairy production and provided practical, hands on training for the agricultural students. There is a heard theory that Dexters are a new breed which is completely false, Irish farmers from the 18th century noticed the benefits of these small, well domesticated breed. Dexters disappeared around Australia around the time of the Second World War, they actually became quite rare around the whole world. The risk of the Dexter Breed becoming extinct started a new interest world wide with Australia joining the move to ensure the Irish cattle had a future, after being listed by the Rare breeds Trust in the 1970's Over the past 20 years Dexters cattle have become extremely popular throughout Australia. Dexters are now a common sight at many royal and rural agricultural shows. |