The Dexter Breed Standard/ Guidelines

The following slides are the presentation I did at the ADCA Expo 2024. All pictures are either my own or were published publicly. All commentary is entirely my own.

Contrary to the UK's Dexter Cattle Society, the ADCA only has guidelines. A standard can be enforced, while guidelines can be interpreted as a suggestion. It's up to the individual breeder to keep their Dexters recognizable as such.

Excessive white has been with the breed since its inception. It has also been selected against. Like brindle, it doesn't exclude an animal from being registered within the ADCA. But, just because you can, doesn't mean you should use faulty colors for your breeding stock.

Dexter type starts with the head. A broad forehead and large, expressive eyes with a calm gaze, speak of intelligence, alertness and tractability. The concave facial shape is pleasing ("Kindchenschema", Konrad Lorenz) and based on the chondro carrier, on which the breed was founded. The broad muzzle gives teeth space for feed efficency.

A Dexter needs to be economically viable. A cow that can bite off more, chew less, yet more efficiently, doesn't need to wander as far as her "needle-nosed" herd mates for the same amount of calories. She also has more time to ruminate and digest her food.

The width of the muzzle often translates to width of body.

The ADCA Guidelines say nothing about the neck, so I had to use the DCS Standard for this part.

Often you can see Dexters that look "ducked" or have a short neck. Let's also not strive to add a swan-like neck to our Dexters. Moderation and good carriage are what should be selected for.

It is interesting to compare the verbiage of  the ADCA and the DCS. Both agree on width, depth and length.

In essence, you want a 6x4 beef brick, not a 2x4 slab. Long, smooth lines on an animal that has the capacity to gain and reproduce to old age (mid- to late teens for cows).

The two animals pictured are good examples of what to look for in adult breeding stock. 

For those that are unsure what width, depth and length look like in youngsters, here are good representations.

A Dexter should never be leggy. You shouldn't see a lot of daylight between the ground and the belly. Leggy also often means shallow and narrow. This in turn can mean an animal that simply cannot gain and maintain weight and/ or has calving issues.

Milk weighs about eight pounds per gallon. The heaviest lactations are the third and fourth. If you have a cow with a goodly amount of milk (three to four gallons a day), you need to relieve her udder of that weight until the calf catches up with her production. 

We shouldn't need to cross Dexters with Jerseys to add to a cow's milk production. We should simply breed a true dual-purpose cow.

A large scrotum means a fertile bull. 

Teat placement on bulls and the medial suspensitory ligamant of the scrutum have a direct correlation to the udder qualities of his daughters, as do the evenness of his testicles.

The hardest calf to sell is the one that never gets born. Avoid a lazy prepuce, where a bull cannot retract his penis (often seen in homozygous polled bulls), as it can cause the penis to be injured. Twisted testicles can cause infertilty.

Steers will reflect the beef qualities of the parent animals. If they seem lacking, like the example on the left, change your breeding strategy.

Remember that only one of twenty bull calves should be considered as a herd sire prospect, but that everyone loves a steak.

This part of the ADCA Guidelines doesn't  state at which age an animal should be measured. Since Dexters, especially bulls, can grow until they are five years old, it makes a huge difference if a bull measures 47 inches at two years of age or at seven. Early breeding of cows will stunt their growth.

Ask yourself which qualities of the Dexter piqued your interest. Size was probably the very first. There is no reason to breed over height animals.

The ADCA Guidelines stop here. The rest of the slides will quote the DCS Standard.

Width is easiest to see when standing directly in front or behind the animal. Straight, proportionate legs allow for good locomotion. Learn how to assess correct tracking in cattle by watching an animal from behind. Allow for wider rear tracking of cows in milk.

Dexters are notorious for low heels and flat feet. This can cause lameness and injury. The good news is that this issue can be dealt with in one generation. 

A Dexter should have the ability to self-trim on solid ground, as seen on the upper right.

I learned about the concept of "hide and hair" very early on. The old-timers said that loose skin makes for tender beef. A short, seal-like winter coat that can be shed fast when temperatures rise, is directly linked to comfort and weight maintenance/ gain. 

Silk in the summer, velvet in the winter. 

Imagine these two heifers being born at the height of summer. Which would be more stressed by heat and prone to summer pneumonia?

While this heifer doesn't exhibit the best type and certainly has her conformational flaws, her capacity to gain and maintain weight cannot be questioned. 

It is incumbent on all of us to keep the Dexter breed recognizable as such. Producing healthy and productive animals, against trends when they are detrimental to the breed, ensures the future of the Dexter for generations to come. 

Paula left us much too soon. Her love and dedication to the breed was unrivaled, her Sant'Angelo herd spectacular. A role model to all.

My warmest wishes go to her husband, Dan.