Small Dexters

[graham wiseman]

I am looking to establish a" herd type" of small lightly built dual purpose quiet animals . I appreciate these are not as commercial an option as the larger built animals I read others are trying to establish to maximise financial returns.Can anyone advise how to obtain additional animals of the type I require.

[Inger]

Breed your own.

Locate small cows and a small bull and go from there. Check out the average height of the animals in the herds you visit. That will give you an idea of the likely height of the offspring.

Dexters are a duel purpose breed, but you'll need to choose individual animals that have the attributes you are after. There is always a variation amongst individuals in any breed.

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Hello Graham,

for several years now I have been engaged on a breeding programme to breed non-carriers as close to the traditional short legged Dexter as possible. In 2000 I bought a five month old calf of 100% Woodmagic blood at Stoneleigh, because I knew he had to be a non carrier and struck me as just the shape of calf I would be pleased to have. At the age of 8 he is surrounded by daughters and granddaughters, and some of this years crop of calves are great grand sons and daughters. I used several cows as foundation cows, though most of them had a certain amount of common genetics, and most of my females are now within the size range I prefer. Like you I recognise that they are too small for some people, but I think they are what Dexters should be and almost certainly were before the bulldog gene came along and made it easy to produce short dumpy animals. If you want more details of what I am doing please send me a private email or phone me - number on the DCS list of field advisors.

Duncan

[Saffy]

Hello Graham,

Like you I wanted to breed a herd of smaller Dexters and so I bought a foundation herd of 2 cows and the bull calf - now stock bull, from Beryl at Woodmagic, our only other cow has almost entirely Woodmagic bloodlines.

I am still quite new and have got my first calves this year.

Having looked at several other herds it was pleasing to see that Beryls animals were also all very similar in size and shape, as well as not being very tall, which was what clinched it for me.

Stephanie