# Dexter Cattle



## MenagerieMama (Nov 14, 2011)

I have been searching for Dexter breeders for a while, and realize this breed is hard to come by.  We are interested in having a house cow with possibly raising the offspring for meat.  I've heard Dexter's can't be surpassed in cream and marbling for meat, and dressed out retain over 60% of their weight...the best of both worlds in a dual purpose compact size.

I would be ecstatic to find Dexter cattle breeders and enthusiasts to share their stories and help put the Dexter breed on the map.


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## Okie Amazon (Nov 14, 2011)

Here is the link for the American Dexter Cattle Assoc. I'm sure you can find someone that raises and has some for sale through them.

http://www.dextercattle.org/


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## MenagerieMama (Nov 14, 2011)

Okie Amazon said:
			
		

> Here is the link for the American Dexter Cattle Assoc. I'm sure you can find someone that raises and has some for sale through them.
> 
> http://www.dextercattle.org/


Excellent link.  Thank you.  Am hoping to find some Dexter breeders here on BYH to pick their brains.


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## Lothiriel (Nov 14, 2011)

I don't know where in CNY you are, but up in South Otselic a fellow by the name of Michael Foor-Pessin has Dexters -- he's on the ad page from the link Okie Amazon posted. We looked into Dexters last year. My mom wants to breed our Jersey cow to a Dexter, hoping of course for a heifer. 

Good luck!


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## MenagerieMama (Nov 15, 2011)

Lothiriel said:
			
		

> I don't know where in CNY you are, but up in South Otselic a fellow by the name of Michael Foor-Pessin has Dexters -- he's on the ad page from the link Okie Amazon posted. We looked into Dexters last year. My mom wants to breed our Jersey cow to a Dexter, hoping of course for a heifer.
> 
> Good luck!


Oh, I'll look for him!  Thank you!  The Jersey x Dexter would make for an excellent house cow.  We've been flip flopping which breed we'd like to try first...you can't go wrong with Jerseys!  If I found that mix for sale, I'd be all over it like white on rice.


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## hydroswiftrob (Nov 15, 2011)

O.P., what you said sounded like exactly what I would have wrote.


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## 77Herford (Nov 15, 2011)

A Dexter is just about the perfect house cow.  If you are just looking for a cow to provide you milk and possibly so cheese or cream needs then I would always recommend a Dexter.


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## MenagerieMama (Nov 15, 2011)

77Herford said:
			
		

> A Dexter is just about the perfect house cow.  If you are just looking for a cow to provide you milk and possibly so cheese or cream needs then I would always recommend a Dexter.


  Don't forget the BUTTER!


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## burntmuch (Nov 21, 2011)

Im also looking into Dexter cattle, So Im gonna tag along here. How long does it take to get a Dexter to butcher weight.


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## SheepGirl (Nov 21, 2011)

Read this on WildRoseBeef's page.


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## Imma Okie (Dec 3, 2011)

While looking for Dexter's in my area, I came across this site:

http://www.cattlepages.com/breeders/Dexter/New_York/New-York-Dexter-breeders.aspx

I hope that helps!


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## kstaven (Dec 3, 2011)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> Read this on WildRoseBeef's page.


That is probably one of the most REALISTIC evaluations of a Dexter I have seen in some time.


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## WildRoseBeef (Dec 4, 2011)

kstaven said:
			
		

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Aww, gee thanks!


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## Lothiriel (Dec 4, 2011)

MenagerieMama... I was perusing my local Craigslist and found this and immediately thought I'd share it with you! 
http://oneonta.craigslist.org/grd/2729372858.html


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## MenagerieMama (Dec 5, 2011)

Lothiriel said:
			
		

> MenagerieMama... I was perusing my local Craigslist and found this and immediately thought I'd share it with you!
> http://oneonta.craigslist.org/grd/2729372858.html


Heck yeah!!!  Thank you!  I'll be trying to get a hold of them today!


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## MenagerieMama (Dec 5, 2011)

Imma Okie said:
			
		

> While looking for Dexter's in my area, I came across this site:
> 
> http://www.cattlepages.com/breeders/Dexter/New_York/New-York-Dexter-breeders.aspx
> 
> I hope that helps!


This is great!  It listed a breeder in Morrisville which is a hop, skip and jump away from where I live!  Thank you!


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## hydroswiftrob (Dec 5, 2011)

Alright folks, now find one in the North Texas area lol. New York is a little far for me to drive


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## MenagerieMama (Dec 5, 2011)

hydroswiftrob said:
			
		

> Alright folks, now find one in the North Texas area lol. New York is a little far for me to drive


Under the link it had breeders in TX.  Not sure where these are located in reference to you, but worth a look.   http://www.cattlepages.com/Breeders/Dexter/Texas/Texas-Dexter-breeders.aspx


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## Nachoqtpie (Dec 5, 2011)

So wait.... I thought Dexters were supposed to have easy calving and be exceptional mothers? From WildRoseBeef's page it looks like they aren't that good for calving or mothering? We're researching for our future farmette and the very first breed that was suggested was Dexter. 
I'm a little confused now!


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## MenagerieMama (Dec 5, 2011)

Nachoqtpie said:
			
		

> So wait.... I thought Dexters were supposed to have easy calving and be exceptional mothers? From WildRoseBeef's page it looks like they aren't that good for calving or mothering? We're researching for our future farmette and the very first breed that was suggested was Dexter.
> I'm a little confused now!


I called the lady in Morrisville...we talked about an hour...she sold her Dexters for health/financial reasons, but raved about them.  The only thing she told me that I had not read or heard before, was that Dexter's tend to have hair near their teets, so that it gets in the milk.   It doesn't stop me from looking for our Dexter housecow though!


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## Nachoqtpie (Dec 5, 2011)

Hahaha!! Well... I guess I have clippers and am used to clipping horses... clipping some teets can't be THAT much different than shaving my husbands head... right??


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## WildRoseBeef (Dec 5, 2011)

Nachoqtpie said:
			
		

> So wait.... I thought Dexters were supposed to have easy calving and be exceptional mothers? From WildRoseBeef's page it looks like they aren't that good for calving or mothering? We're researching for our future farmette and the very first breed that was suggested was Dexter.
> I'm a little confused now!


They're average for mothering (however they can be culled and bred to be better mothers: all it takes is a bit of culling management), but as far as calving ease is concerned, that might be an error on the part of the book that I got the information from.  It sure doesn't make sense that Dexters can give birth to tiny calves but have calving problems with them.  Thanks for catching that, I'll make the corrections (and I think the minimal management may need correcting too) as necessary.


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## Nachoqtpie (Dec 5, 2011)

AH! 
Thanks for clearing that up. Do you know if there are more books available about the Dexters? 
The husband keeps asking me why I want combo cows if we're going to have dairy goats. Maybe we will just have combos of all the animals we have!


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## WildRoseBeef (Dec 5, 2011)

Not dexters specifically, but I do know of a good book on backyard livestock.  It's called The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals and is a great book for someone like yourself who's looking to raising livestock on a small scale.  I own a copy of it btw, and it's one of the most helpful books (in addition to Beef Cattle Science and Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle) I have.


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## Nachoqtpie (Dec 6, 2011)

Awesome!! I have their other book! I put it in my wishlist so that way I'll remember it when I have some extra dough! :-D


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## kstaven (Dec 10, 2011)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

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The info below may help answer that calving issue. Quite common in many lines so the chart is probably accurate.

Bulldog Dwarfism (Chondrodysplasia) 

Inheritance of a form of chondrodysplasia known as bulldog dwarfism has been documented in Dexter cattle since the early 1900s. Among other defects, affected fetuses have severe disproportionate dwarfism, short vertebral column and a large head, and are naturally aborted around the seventh month of gestation.  The defect is a major problem for Dexter breeders, as one copy of the defective allele produces the favored short-legged phenotype of Dexter cattle. Thus, selection for the preferred Dexter phenotype maintains a lethal allele in high frequency in the population. Breeding carrier animals together will produce 25% affected fetuses.

Research by investigators in Australia determined that the bulldog dwarfism in Dexters is caused by two mutations in the aggrecan gene (ACAN). The most common mutation is BD1 (2266_2267ins-GGCA). A second mutation in the same gene  BD2 (198C>T)  accounts for bulldog dwarfism in one particular bull lineage. A diagnostic test for BD1 has been developed and is available to help Dexter breeders avoid production of bulldog calves.


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## dreamriver (Dec 20, 2011)

oooh, just found this posting.

I love my Dexters.   One of my girls does have longish hair on her udder, but it was never a problem for milking.   We currently have 12, just butchered a few and they are very delicious!!!   We are raising them for breeding stock, meat and dairy.   

Chondrodysplasia is often made out to be a huge issue in Dexters ( and a few other breeds) however if you have had your bull ( or bull you may use) tested to be free of the gene then it is a VERY, Very small chance that you will have what is considered a 'bulldog' calf.  Many of the previous calves considered bulldogs may in fact have been affected by PHA another genetic issue but the same advice for chondro is recommended as well.  The term short leg is also used somewhat interchangably with chondro.   I do have one cow that carries for chondro but I keep her as she throws wonderful calves and has only calved one 'shortleg' in 5 calvings.  

I am located in Minnesota, and would be happy to discuss the breed, feel free to pm or email as I don't often check on byh.
I have all three colors of the Dexters, dun, black and red horned and polled

Deb
dreamriverfarm.blogspot.com


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## Crazy Acres (Jan 10, 2012)

We have at this moment 2 dexter heifers (one living on our farm, the other living with the breeder and his bull  ) They do very well on range. They are calm, easy to handle, and are the only breed I know with which you need to use a carjack to milk! 
I think they come in a color or two more than just Dunn, Red and Black, but I haven't seen any.


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## CAMilkmaid (Jan 10, 2012)

I have raised Dexters since 2003. They are excellent mothers and I've never had an issue with birthing or heard of any breeder who has. I milk my cows. In the winter, some have hair on the udder, which can be clipped. There are 2 other registries which can be searched for breeders. One is the PDCA, the other Legacy. The issue with chondro or bulldog calves can be managed. The old timers simply never bred short to short, instead always bred their carriers (short) cattle to non carrier (long legged). This eliminates the risk. There are tests now available for Chondro and PHA.

HTH,
Kim

Star.Rose Ranch
Guinda CA


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## theawesomefowl (Jan 10, 2012)

I LOVE Dexters! A year or so back, we took a field trip to Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery and met the cows. They were beautiful and so sweet.
I still want one, but can't afford them. So I'm sticking with sheep for now.


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## Lothiriel (Jan 10, 2012)

We just got our Jersey bred to a Jersey bull, but next time we are really looking into breeding her to a Dexter or perhaps a mini Angus. My mom REALLY wants the Jersey/Dexter cross, so probably we'd go with that.


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## cgmccary (Jan 10, 2012)

> *Nachoqtpie:  *Do you know if there are more books available about the Dexters?


We have a Dexter Bull & a Heifer. We got ours last December from Gabriella Nanci (who lives now in GA, formerly in CA), who has co-authored a book on Dexters: "_Dexter Cattle, A Breeders' Notebook, Volume One_" by Gabriella Nanci and Stefani Millman, published by AuthorHouse, 1-800-839-8640; ISBN number is 978-1-4389-8341-7


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## pheasantrun (Feb 23, 2012)

We are new to cattle/calves.  We live in south Texas.   Our family recently purchased a 3 month old Dexter bull.   When we brought him home he had just been taken off of his mama.  He had already been introduced to pellets.  We were told he needed to stay on calf pellets for at least 3 months.  Our problem is this... within a few days of getting the bull our family also bought several five month old heifers and steers.  The bull was turned out on pasture with the five month olds.  We have continued to feed the pellets (cattle feed as we cannot find any calf pellets).  Ultimately, we would like them all to be strictly grass fed.  Any suggestions and/or advice on how to make the switch and most importantly, do we need to continue feeding pellets to the bull?


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## WildRoseBeef (Feb 23, 2012)

pheasantrun said:
			
		

> We are new to cattle/calves.  We live in south Texas.   Our family recently purchased a 3 month old Dexter bull.   When we brought him home he had just been taken off of his mama.  He had already been introduced to pellets.  We were told he needed to stay on calf pellets for at least 3 months.  Our problem is this... within a few days of getting the bull our family also bought several five month old heifers and steers.  The bull was turned out on pasture with the five month olds.  We have continued to feed the pellets (cattle feed as we cannot find any calf pellets).  Ultimately, we would like them all to be strictly grass fed.  Any suggestions and/or advice on how to make the switch and most importantly, do we need to continue feeding pellets to the bull?


The pellets should be fed until you're sure that you are going to have good pasture to put them on.  When there on pasture, there's nothing wrong with stopping the pellets cold-turkey, or just feeding it less often than usual.  But remember these are young, growing calves, not adult animals, so you really have to watch their nutritional intake and body condition to see if they're getting enough from the pasture and if they need supplementing.  As growing animals, they still need plenty of protein and energy as well as a good calciumhosphorus ratio to grow, build muscle and bone and reach a healthy mature size.  Good grass and good-quality hay should be enough to meet their needs, but it may not, so keeping on with the supplementation (in addition to a good mineral program, like having them access to loose mineral) may be a good idea until they're growth starts to slow down which begins at around 12 months old.

Consider implementing rotational grazing to create more pasture space and increase time spent on pasture.  There are a few discussions on this site about that as well as a page I wrote on planning different types of grazing seen HERE, so feel free to have a look around.

Note: Unless you want some whoopsie heifers, consider separating the bull from the heifers until you are ready to get the heifers bred.  A Dexter bull may reach puberty at around 12 months old, and if your heifers start reaching puberty at the same age as the bull, you may end up getting heifers bred too early, which is not good for the heifers at all.


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## Roscommon Acres (Oct 16, 2012)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

> pheasantrun said:
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Great advice! We wanted ours to be grassfed as well, and they hopefully will be next spring if these pesky drought ends, but they aren't getting much grain. I would highly recommend the book Grass-Fed Cattle: How to Produce and Market Natural Beef. Obviously, there's a lot in there you don't need to know, but it taught me a lot about pasture management and we just got our five acres, minihorse, two Dexters, angus cross and a whole slew of poultry through a pretty nasty drought that left neighboring cornfields dead and cattle producers selling off whole herds. And our critters are still on pasture.

Because of the drought, however, we chose to supplement with as much hay as they wanted and a bit of sweet feed, beet shreds and alfalfa pellets morning and evening. It was a total of six cups of supplementation a day, with only a pound of that being grain, but I looked at it like a multivitamin there to help out where maybe the pasture might fail.


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## dexgroup (Mar 27, 2013)

MenagerieMama said:
			
		

> I have been searching for Dexter breeders for a while, and realize this breed is hard to come by.  We are interested in having a house cow with possibly raising the offspring for meat.  I've heard Dexter's can't be surpassed in cream and marbling for meat, and dressed out retain over 60% of their weight...the best of both worlds in a dual purpose compact size.
> 
> I would be ecstatic to find Dexter cattle breeders and enthusiasts to share their stories and help put the Dexter breed on the map.


Hello MenagerieMama, I know it is a long time since you posted the above, but I have been browsing the web for inspiration and ideas, and decided I like both your username and your thoughts about Dexters. I hope you found your Dexters. Even though we are across the other side of the world from you, I thought you might be interested in reading about our Dexters at dexter-cattle-sensw.com.au (I am not allowed to post hyperlinks) ; and perhaps communicating with our members who are like-minded with you.


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## Elm Tree acres (Mar 28, 2013)

dexgroup said:
			
		

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Just great to see you on here and please stay around as there are a few members with Dexters on the forum who would love to chat I'm sure.
Its a great time for Dexter, Galloway and Highland breeds at the moment as people are wising up to the need to choose a healthier lifestyle which includes choosing drug free grassfed meat and milk products using those great heritage breeds who grazed long before the antibiotic, vaccine, hormone and steroid were thought of. Lots of work to do in North America though - trust me on that.
We just had the privilege of welcoming the World Galloway Conference to Canada and to our farm and we met some wonderful people from your side of the planet 
My neighbour has Dexter so we chew the cud on which breed is best 
Looking forward to posting with you in the coming weeks


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## tressa27884 (Jul 22, 2015)

CAMilkmaid said:


> I have raised Dexters since 2003. They are excellent mothers and I've never had an issue with birthing or heard of any breeder who has. I milk my cows. In the winter, some have hair on the udder, which can be clipped. There are 2 other registries which can be searched for breeders. One is the PDCA, the other Legacy. The issue with chondro or bulldog calves can be managed. The old timers simply never bred short to short, instead always bred their carriers (short) cattle to non carrier (long legged). This eliminates the risk. There are tests now available for Chondro and PHA.
> 
> HTH,
> Kim
> ...


Please pm me if you're still active.  Thanks!


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