Farm Management

Someone recently asked about selecting a bull calf with traditional Dexter characteristics. Many breeders more experienced than me have covered this topic, but having bred Dexters for quite a few years now (and made plenty of mistakes) I am adding my two cents to the topic.

Selecting a bull calf starts before they are even born – by deciding your breeding goals, doing your research, and by collecting as much information as you can about the parents and as far back in their pedigree as you are able.

1. Decide on breeding goals: We selected Dexters for specific reasons, and those influence our breeding goals. We want cattle with good temperaments, easy to work with. We want low maintenance cattle; great foragers, good mothers, easy calvers, fertile, producing great beef and milk on low inputs. We also want cattle that people can look at and say, that is a Dexter!
2. Research and information gathering: I read numerous breed standards for the Dexter, I looked at lots of historical photos of Dexters, I studied conformation photos, and I have visited many Dexter farms.
3. Collecting information on parents: I keep records on our cattle; calving dates (the first cows to calve in your herd are generally the healthiest and most fertile), birth weights, weaning or butcher weights, general health, hoof trimming/care, calving issues, mastitis/udder issues etc. Then, I wait for my best cows to have bull calves. If I’m buying a bull, I am looking for this information from the seller.

Once I have a bull calf on the ground, I am going to be evaluating him from day 1, until his last day on earth. I am looking for him to meet my breeding goals, and the Dexter breed standard. These are the questions I am asking: Is he short and beefy? Is he proportionate? Does he have a nice wide Dexter face with placid eyes? Does he have a shiny coat? Is he curious about humans and his surroundings? I continue asking these questions throughout his life, and then at 10-12 months I’m starting to look for signs of sexual maturity. Is he very bullish looking? Is he getting a thick neck and thick curly hair on his neck and head? Does he have a deep bellow? Are his testicles football shaped, and do they hang evenly? Are his teats evenly spaced and sized? And again when he reaches 3 years of age (this is generally when they have reached their full height), is he in the average range for height and weight? What are his calves like, do I like their birth weight? Were there any calving issues, dystocia, etc? Are the calves vigorous and up nursing quickly? Are the calves growing well? And again when his heifer calves have their first calf, do I like their udder and teat conformation? Are they easy to milk? Do they have good mothering instincts? 

If at any time during his life he (or his offspring) stops meeting my goals, I am going to look to replace him with either another bull from my herd who I feel is an improvement (maybe even one of his sons), or an outside bull.

If there is one thing that has helped me most in selecting future herd sires, I think it would be looking at photos of bulls that embody the purebred Dexter (Hint: Try to go as far back in time as you can to get a complete picture).

In an ideal world we would be able to find or breed a great herd sire. But open cows are a financial drain, especially if it is a family milk cow! So, sometimes we have to make do with what is available. In that case, pick the best bull with the info available to you, with a plan to beef the offspring. If you get something extra special out of your bull (hey, we can all win the genetic lottery sometimes), use that calf to replace your bull.

I’ve included photos of two bulls at various ages that we have raised from birth to herd sires in our Dexter breeding program. Feel free to share feedback, I have not reached perfection yet 😄 I hope my experience and photos are helpful.