Sussex Genetics in Dexter

[cairnhill]

I've heard that in order to revive the Dexter breed that other breeds were used. We had a Dexter bull that we sold earlier in the year (Ashdown Graham), the bull was registered pedigree however he had a slightly white tail, was polled and looked very like our Red Polls. Is it likely that he had some Sussex/Red Poll in him going back many generations as these traits seem to match?

[Duncan MacIntyre]

White hairs in the tail are quite acceptable in Dexters, though the skin should not be white, just the hairs.

There are various other influences in his pedigree, but so many generations back that they are very unlikely to be having much obvious effect, except possibly the polled bit, which is easy to see being carried down or lost as the generations move on. One possible source of the polling in Graham is one of his Great great great great grandmnothers, Vycanny Orphan Annie, who was sired by a polled shorthorn bull called Swinsongrange Challenger. However at seven generations back there will only be 0.78% of the shorthorn bulls genes left.

Duncan

[SteveM]

before we got into dexters remember buying a limousin suckler cow at york, by the time we got to her great grand daughter we nearly had a charolais

[moomin]

Red poll is derived from the Norfolk Red {beef] and the Suffolk Dun [polled dairy]. Do not get mixed up with the Sussex [primarily a draught animal]