Dexter cattle

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Good example of Dexter cow and calf from New Norfolk, Tasmania

Dexter cattle are a minority breed of cattle and until fairly recently, were in fact considered as a rare breed. They are the smallest native breed, and originated in the south of Ireland in the 1800s as an ideal "cottager's cow", producing plenty of milk for the house and a calf to be reared for beef each year. The animals vary in size, but are about half the size of a traditional Hereford and probably one third the size of something like a black and white Friesian milking cow. Dexters come in two different types: short-legged and long-legged. A short-legged Dexter cannot be bred with another short-legged Dexter.^[1]

Commercially speaking, Dexters are a dual-purpose breed, providing milk and beef. They are a slower maturing beef breed and best reared on a purely grass diet to about 3 years of age. However, as a result of concerns over BSE, the British government introduced legislation effectively banning the sale and use of animals over 30 months in age. This has meant that in some cases, steers (gelded male cattle) may need some supplement feeding to "finish" them before the 30 months are up. An animal that is not properly "finished" tends to not have enough fat on the carcass.

The beef produced by Dexters is a "traditional" type, with a greater level of fat marbling than is seen in modern supermarket beef. It also tends to be darker, partially as result of the breed and partly as the carcass is usually properly hung to produce a tender and better flavoured meat. Some say Dexter beef is "sweeter" than other beef.

Dexters produce a rich milk, relatively high in butterfat (3.5% to 4%) and the quality of the milk overall is similar to that of the Jersey. Some claim the milk is more naturally homogenised than other milk due to the smaller fat globules. Dexters can reasonably be expected to produce 2 to 2.5 gallons (7.6 to 9.5 liters) per day.

The cows are exceptionally good mothers, hiding their calves almost from birth if there is any cover to hide them in. They will produce enough milk to feed 2-3 calves. They are an easy calving breed as their breeding has not been tweaked about as much as some cattle breeds. The birthing ease of the breed 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 parturition.