Characteristics of the Dexter

[Donlin Stud]

I know I have asked a pointed question but I keep reading about Dexter traits that are not mentioned in the breed standard such as the shape of the faces and a few other things which are not coming to mind as I type.

The Breed Standard is not helpful when one is new to the breed.

We also were told that the 4-5 week old boy (in my avatar standing away from child) was not boof-headed/masculine looking and should be steered.
This may be so but this same person also has a preference for one of our boys who, to us, looks like a miniature Angus.
So confusion reigns………..

Can I have some help in learning to identify those traits which are deemed Dexter, not listed in Breed Standards and what is it you want to see in your Dexter calves of both sexes?

[genebo]

Personal tastes vary a lot. Much of what the general public knows about cattle comes from the beef cattle industry. Few know much about how to select a dairy cow and even fewer know how to select a Dexter.

While not a part of the breed guidelines, I use some guides to help me choose.

I give the feet and legs great priority. I use the illustrations in here to help me.

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/beef/breeding/bulls/structural-soundness

I have a diagram from Oklahoma State for how and why to choose certain leg and foot characteristics, but I can't find my link. I keep it in my head, but that doesn't do you any good. The most telling thing about rear hooves is where a line drawn through the center of the lower leg intersects the rear of the hoof or the ground. If the intersection is behind the hoof too far (sickle hocked), it puts a strain on the tendons that may cause the cow to get tired earlier and refuse to graze as much. If the line hits inside the rear of the hoof (post hocked) it does not cushion shocks to the leg and may lead to joint problems in later life. The ideal place for the line to intersect the ground is about 1/4" behind the rear of the hoof. This gives some shock absorbing without placing undue strain on the leg.

I look for a straight and level top line, so that a measurement all along the backbone will be the same.

I look for a perfectly level tailset. In digesting what I have read, I think that a high tailset lends itself to easy calving, but at a cost. Manure is not cleaned off as readily, and infections can occur. Low tailsets, are associated with more difficult calving. I haven't seen very many Dexters with low tailsets. A level tailset is the best compromise for health and easy calving.

I look for deep chests with a deep brisket. That indicates lung capacity and strength of the muscles that control the front legs.

I look for wide, fleshy hips. More beef and a strong selling point. The dairy form that so many Dexter cows exhibit involves some pretty bony hips. Using a bull with wide, beefy hips over a cow like this makes for prettier calves. Imagine a milk cow with heavily fleshed hips. Who wouldn't want one of those?

The most important trait to select for is temperament. I try to never buy a Dexter that I haven't gone to visit. Lots of Dexters have not been socialized to the extent that I like them. You can work with them after you've gotten them, but it's so much nicer to bring home one that will let you pet it right from the start. My visitors come here with an idea of what they are looking for, but the single most deciding trait is their temperament. They all want to buy the calf that came to them and licked their hand. I don't blame them. That's the one I wish I could keep!

[Deleted]

4 weeks is a way to young to judge the masculinity of a calf.

[Donlin Stud]

Thank you Dexterfarm. When asked what he was lacking that made him not masculine enough was met with silence. All our boys are what we call pretty boys with only one we couldn’t determine at birth his sex until the scientific wee method and that is the boy we state looks more like a minnie angus than a Dexter.
Not the greatest of pics but here he is one week before his second birthday. He was rubbing his chin in the hay so looks straighter in the rear legs than he actually is.




Thanks Genebo. We also have that link bookmarked. Straight toplines and an even tailset is something that we automatically selected for in our foundation stock – it’s a working dog breeder thing I think as balance is very important.
So are feet, shoulder, hip placement but the hubby has a much keener eye for this than I will ever have. He was very interested to read what you had written re the rear foot. If you find the diagram would you mind letting me know?

Yes we too have read about the higher tail set but cant bring ourselves to admire what it could represent in the way of easy calving etc. A level with the topline tailset is just more visually appealing to us.
Yes the temperament is a key trait for us especially since the market is small acre cattle keeping around us. Exceptionally quiet is mandatory. Many Australian Dexter breeders just don’t seem to understand the difference or ridicule for ‘making pets out of livestock’. But at the same time these very people are complaining about the fall in beef and Dexter prices, while our onlyl complaint is not having the ability to produce enough Dexters to supply demand. Go figure !

But while you gave us great pointers to look out for – I didn’t ask the question correctly which should have been:

What would you look for (besides the above) if someone asked you to determine that an animal was a Dexter or not – what ‘traits’ would you look for to make that decision?

[Deleted]

I agree with you the back end looks big for a dexter bull with the legs being that big that far down the leg. I would also say for being 2 he does not look very bullish but with the picture at that angle it is hard to tell.

[genebo]

The first thing to consider in determining if it is a Dexter is height. Dexters are the smallest breed of European cattle. Zebus may be smaller, but they are easily told apart.

Here is a Dexter and a Dexter/Jersey cross, face on to the camera. You will have no trouble telling which is which:

Here is a Dexter/Jersey cross steer, which is not so easy to spot. A Dexter steer is peering around his tail, for comparison.

With a registry of integrity, the best way to tell if it's a Dexter is to see if it is registered. That is the purpose and the value of a registry.

[Donlin Stud]

Thanks Genebo for the info.

What I am trying to learn about is how our stud can ensure we are selecting for those Dexter physical traits while removing the grade up physical traits such as what we thought and Dexterfarm pointed out with Anka’s rear-end thickness running down his rear legs in the photo above which we will work on.

Maybe what I really need to do is take good pics of each of our moos (to the best of my lack of ability) and seek opinions on the physical traits in our moos which are or are not seen in traditional Dexters to help us make better decisions?

Being a small country with such a dominate beef industry, determined quality swings strongly towards that beef market, easily drawing us into it so we need a fair bit of assistance to stay on the dual purpose/Dexter track.

Here is one of our other boys: Bundy. He is the many ask about his chondro status. He tested a non-carrier. Height in April 2014 as he walked through the crush saw the one metre mark just visible (smidgin over 39in) He turned 3 in July 2014.

The photo is a shocker I know - but at a general glance, is he closer to what a Dexter bull should resemble than Anka above? If he isnt, what would you be paying more attention to for his offspring?

[Deleted]

over all looks good. a picture with different angles and more light would be good. With his head up. I would also like to see him with out his winter coat it is easier to tell what they look like when all slicked off.
39" at 3 years old seams on the short side to me for a non carrier. My main bull who I consider short it about 42" at 7 years. Not sure what your size goals are. 

[cascade]

Dec 22, 2014 21:48:28 GMT Donlin Stud said:

What I am trying to learn about is how our stud can ensure we are selecting for those Dexter physical traits

You're on the right track and you're asking the important question. What traits make a dexter, a dexter??? Some folks on this board vehemently proclaim that if a dexter is NOT "100% pure" on paper, then they look different..... But when asked what those different looks are, they struggle with a response.   It turns out that the differences between a "100% pure" dexter and a "95% pure (but well selected)" dexter are usually just paper differences.

So far, most of the responses above have simply been about QUALITY cattle in general (strong back, masculine bulls, good feet, proper muscling, etc.).

The only specific dexter features listed so far:

Short in Stature
FRIENDLY

I certainly agree with those two, the only other specific ones I'd add are

Bulls NOT taller than 44" at 3 years
Bulls NOT shorter than 38" at 3 years of age, that's TOO short according to the Dexter description
Red, Dun, Black in color
A little white is ok on udders/ underline behind navel, but not elsewhere
Udders that give a good amount of milk, but not so much that they MUST be milked.

But that still doesn't fully answer your question of "What specific look is, or is not, a dexter look ?....  The answer is mostly that it varies based on the tastes of the breeder.

In your upgrading program, you can breed some terrific purebred registered dexters, but the paper purists will always say "But it's not a pure dexter", and when you ask them to tell you what doesn't look pure, they'll have no response.   I've shown pictures of a horned cow that has Saltaire Platinum 17 times on the pedigree and I've asked "What doesn't look 100% pure dexter?"  and I never get a response.