![Dexter cow, Three Counties Show](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Dexter_cow%2C_Three_Counties_Show.jpg)
The Dexter is an Irish
breed of small cattle.
It originated in the eighteenth century in
County Kerry, in south-western Ireland, and appears to be named after a man named Dexter, who was
factor
Factor, a Latin word meaning "who/which acts", may refer to:
Commerce
* Factor (agent), a person who acts for, notably a mercantile and colonial agent
* Factor (Scotland), a person or firm managing a Scottish estate
* Factors of production, suc ...
of the estates of
Lord Hawarden on
Valentia Island
Valentia Island () is one of Ireland's most westerly points. It lies off the Iveragh Peninsula in the southwest of County Kerry. It is linked to the mainland by the Maurice O'Neill Memorial Bridge at Portmagee. A car ferry also departs from ...
. Until the second half of the nineteenth century it was considered a type within the
Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in Count ...
breed.
History
![Dexter Bull headshot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Dexter_Bull_headshot.jpg)
The Dexter breed originated in south-western Ireland, from where it was brought to England in 1882. The breed virtually disappeared in Ireland, but was still maintained as a pure breed in a number of small herds in England and the US.
Characteristics
![Dexter cattle , Bolton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Dexter_cattle_%2C_Bolton._-_geograph.org.uk_-_18376.jpg)
The Dexter is a small breed with mature cows weighing between 600 and 700 lb and mature bulls weighing about . Considering their small size, their bodies are broad and deep with well-rounded hindquarters. Dexters have three coat colours - black, red, and dun (brown). Dexters should have no white markings except for some minor white markings on the belly/udder behind the navel and some white hairs in the tail switch. While many Dexters are naturally hornless (
polled), many have horns that are rather small and thick and grow outward with a forward curve on the male and upward on the female.
Dexters are classified as a small dual-purpose breed, used for milk and beef, but they are often listed as a triple-purpose breed, since they are also used as
oxen. Management practices vary by breeder and country. Their versatility is one of their greatest assets, and probably has something to do with the number of countries where Dexter cattle are found, including North America, South Africa, Australia, and much of Europe.
The cows are exceptionally good mothers, hiding their calves almost from birth if they have cover for them to hide. Some produce enough milk to feed two or three calves, and often willingly nurse calves from other cows. They are known for easy calving. This trait, along with the smaller size of the calf, has produced a small but growing market in the United States for Dexter bulls to breed to first-calf
heifers among the larger beef breeds to eliminate problems at calving.
Some Dexter cattle carry a gene for chondrodysplasia (a semilethal gene), which is a form of
dwarfism that results in shorter legs than unaffected cattle. Chondrodysplasia-affected Dexters are typically 6–8 in shorter in height than unaffected ones. Breeding two
chondrodysplasia
Osteochondrodysplasia is a general term for a disorder of the development (dysplasia) of bone ("osteo") and cartilage ("chondro"). Osteochondrodysplasias are rare diseases. About 1 in 5,000 babies are born with some type of skeletal dysplasia. Non ...
-affected Dexters together results in a 25% chance that the foetus can abort prematurely. A DNA test is available to test for the chondrodysplasia gene, using tail hairs from the animal.
The aborted foetus is commonly called a bulldog, a stillborn calf that has a bulging head, compressed nose, protruding lower jaw, and swollen tongue, as well as extremely short limbs.
The occurrence of bulldog foetuses is higher in calves born with a black coat than a red coat, because black coat colour is more common.
Short-legged Dexter cattle are considered to be heterozygous, while bulldog foetuses are homozygous for chondrodysplasia genes.
Dexters can also be affected with pulmonary hypoplasia with anasarca (PHA), which is an incomplete formation of the lungs with accumulation of a serum fluid in various parts of the tissue of the foetus. Unlike chondrodysplasia, which has many physical signs, PHA shows no outward signs and is only detectable through DNA testing. As with Chondrodysplasia, PHA-affected Dexters should not be bred together.
Originally, Dexters were typically horned, but a naturally
polled strain was developed in the 1990s.
Dexter cattle have short legs compared to other breeds; increased shortness is displayed from the knee to the
fetlock
Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ).
Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ba ...
.
Dexter cattle are very hardy, efficient grazers and are able to thrive on poor land.
Use
The breed is suitable for beef or milk production, although individual herd owners often concentrate on growing either one or the other.
Dexters produce a rich milk, relatively high in
butterfat
Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.
Composition
Butterfat is mainly composed of triglycerides. Each triglyceride contains three fatty acids. But ...
(4%) and the quality of the milk overall is similar to that of
Jersey cattle
The Jersey is a British list of cattle breeds, breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the British Channel Islands. It is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney (cattle), Alderney – now extinct – and th ...
. Dexters can reasonably be expected to produce 1.5 to 2.5
gal (7.6 to 9.5 L) per day.
Beef animals in the US are expected to mature in 18–24 months and result in small cuts of high-quality, lean meat, graded US Choice, with little waste. The expected average dress out is 50 to 70%. The beef produced by Dexters is well marbled and tends to be dark.
See also
*
Lowline cattle
References
External links
Dexter Cattle Society UKAmerican Dexter Cattle AssociationDexter Cattle Society New ZealandPurebred Dexter Cattle AssociationDexter Cattle AustraliaCanadian Dexter Cattle Association
{{British livestock, R.
Cattle breeds
Cattle breeds originating in Ireland
Conservation Priority Breeds of the Livestock Conservancy