Dexter cattle

Is the Dexter right for you?

Appearance and varieties

The American Dexter Cattle Association describes the Dexter as the smallest naturally-statured breed of cattle in the world, and says it is not a miniature breed: its size does not come from breeding for miniaturisation. Cows typically stand 34–46 inches at the hip, most of them 36–42, and bulls 36–50 inches, most of them 38–44.

The guidelines ask for a short, broad head tapering to a broad muzzle, a wide and deep chest and well-sprung ribs. Solid black, solid red and solid dun are of equal merit. A small amount of white on the udder, the reproductive organs or the underline behind the navel is acceptable.

Horns, where present, should be moderately thick with an inward, upward curve; The Livestock Conservancy describes them as white with black tips. Horned, dehorned and polled animals are of equal merit.

Some Dexters carry one copy of the chondrodysplasia gene, a form of dwarfism that shortens the legs and gives a slightly stockier build. Carriers are often called short-legged and non-carriers long-legged. The association gives both equal merit and does not encourage breeding for especially small or especially large animals.¹²⁵

Temperament and handling

The Livestock Conservancy lists the Dexter as gentle, easily handled and docile, and as suitable for novice to intermediate keepers. Oklahoma State calls the cattle gentle, hardy and easy to handle.

The association's guidelines ask for well-tempered animals, even-tempered bulls and cows with appropriately strong maternal instincts. Its buyer's checklist tells buyers to judge an animal's temperament and response to human contact in person, and to ask whether it is halter trained.²³¹⁷

Animals vary within a breed. Treat this as what to expect, not a promise, and meet the animal before you buy if you can.

Production numbers

What our sources report for the breed. If two sources disagree, you see the full range.

Housing, feed and health

Housing

Oklahoma State says Dexters do well outdoors year round and need only a windbreak, shelter and fresh water. The Livestock Conservancy says the breed suits limited acreage.

Oregon State's general advice for small beef herds still applies: in the Pacific Northwest, a mud-free area with protection from wind and rain; good fencing; and a corral, alley and squeeze chute for handling. That advice is for beef cattle in general, not Dexters in particular.³²⁸

Feed

The Livestock Conservancy describes the Dexter as forage-efficient and a good browser. Oklahoma State says Dexters need less pasture and feed than other breeds.

For beef cattle in general, Oregon State says an animal eats up to 3 percent of its bodyweight in good-quality feed a day on a dry-matter basis, and drinks 4 to 20 gallons of water a day depending on size, age and weather. Mineral supplements can be offered free choice or mixed into feed.²³⁸

Health

The health point particular to Dexters is chondrodysplasia. An animal with one copy of the gene is a carrier and shows the short-legged build without severe abnormalities. A fetus with two copies has severe dwarfism, known as a bulldog calf, and is expected to be naturally aborted at around the seventh month. Two carriers mated together have a 25 percent chance of producing one.

The American Dexter Cattle Association recommends that carriers be bred only to non-carriers. Many carriers can be picked out by eye, but not all, and the association says only a genetic test can identify the gene. Its buyer's checklist says to ask the seller for copies of genetic test results, and lists chondrodysplasia and PHA among the tests to ask about.

Otherwise the basics are the same as for any herd. Oregon State puts prevention first and says to keep newly purchased calves isolated where you can watch them closely for at least three weeks. The buyer's checklist adds that the animal should meet your state's health requirements.

This is a starting point, not veterinary advice. If an animal seems unwell, call a large-animal vet or your county extension office.⁵⁷⁸

Where to buy

Start with a breeder you can visit. Nobody pays to be on this list.

Similar breeds

History

The Dexter comes from the south and south-west of Ireland, where smallholders kept it in mountainous districts. Its origin is not settled. The Livestock Conservancy says it was developed in the early 1800s from the Kerry by selecting for smaller size and better beef. The American association says it may derive from the Kerry, from a Kerry cross, perhaps with the Devon, or from selection by a Mr. Dexter, whose name it carries.

The first register of Kerry and Dexter cattle was published in Dublin in 1887. In England, the Kerry and Dexter Cattle Society was organised in 1892 and became the Dexter Cattle Society in 1924.

More than 200 Dexters and Kerries were imported to the United States between 1905 and 1915. Breeders formed the American Kerry and Dexter Cattle Club in 1911. It stopped operating after its 1921 herd book, was reorganised in 1940 and was renamed the American Dexter Cattle Association in 1957.

British Dexters were imported again from the 1950s to the 1970s. The Livestock Conservancy says the breed was nearly extinct in the United States by the mid-1970s; it now lists the Dexter as Recovering.²⁶

Sources

The small numbers beside each fact point to one of these.

1. American Dexter Cattle Association, General Breed Guidelines (PDF).
2. The Livestock Conservancy, Dexter Cattle.
3. Oklahoma State University, Breeds of Livestock: Dexter Cattle (archived copy).
4. BreedBarn, Editorial rating, method on the editorial policy page.
5. American Dexter Cattle Association, Chondrodysplasia in Dexter Cattle (PDF).
6. American Dexter Cattle Association, Dexter History.
7. American Dexter Cattle Association, Buyer's Guide: Purchasing Dexter Cattle, 6 Point Checklist (PDF).
8. Oregon State University Extension Service, Beef production for small farms: An overview (EC 1514).

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