Category: Historical
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A Plumb Good Dexter Breeder
Charles Sumner Plumb was a very accomplished man, not just an influential breeder for Kerry and Dexter cattle, but a man of great learning, who had written books and conducted many studies on farming and livestock. Plumb was born in Massachusetts where he initially went to Massachusetts Agricultural College. His education and studies are extensive…
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THE AMERICAN KERRY AND DEXTER CATTLE CLUB – BULLETIN 5
Many thanks to Judy Spronaugle for the source of this information.
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Dexters No Bigger Than Dogs
I usually like to start these articles with a picture of a Dexter cow from the past, that will be the focus for the historical adventure, as we travel back in time. But sadly, this time I have no beautiful and memorable cow to set the tone, as one could not be found for a…
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Historical Breed Standard
Breed standard exactly as it was first published in England in 1900 by the Dexter Cattle Society
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There is a lot more history in the Irish Dexter Cattlemen flipboards, located in the Gazette
If you looking for more information on our wonderful breed, scroll down past the digital magazines to the flipboard section. There are several of the Dexter Registry Magazines that have been converted into easy to view flipboards. So much history at your fingertips in one place, the IDC Gazette.
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What a Dexter family gathering!
Here is what a Dexter family gathering looked like in the 1800s. Notice that the cottage cow is handled pretty much like the family horse. This photo was taken from the Facebook group DexterCattle Historical with the permission of Judy Spongaule. Judy has a wealth knowledge about our wonderful breed.
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“Dairy Breed” Champion Dexter Bull Atlantic Spratt
Dexter Cattle put a high emphasis on dairy traits and beef traits equally. Thoughtful breeders were honing these Irish cattle to excel in both capacities. One of the ways they were doing this, was by selecting bulls from dams with known milk records. Pedigree information is interesting to reflect on when you see repeated names…
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No Udder, No Cow!
The old saying “No feet, no cow” is a phrase that denotes the importance of a cow’s ability to walk. Without good feet there can be no cow to stand on them, thus causing peril to the health of the cow. No Udder, no cow could be a similar maximum, denoting the importance of the…
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Historically looking at the Dexter milk properties!
Many may not know that the Dexter at one time was known to have milking properties of equal merit as the Kerry, a known dairy breed, though they are a dual-purpose breed. Mr. R Tait Robertson was to of said ” The milking properties of both breeds may be said to be of about equal…
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Dexters ARE Irish and Proud of It
Dexters are well known as Irish Dexters even if many other points about them are debated. The above bull though registered with the Dexter Cattle Society is an Irish Dexter with a “fine type and constitution” as the article states. I checked, he certainly was owned and breed by Mr. W. Lindsay Everard of Ratcliffe.…
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Lying out all winter long, Getting nothing more than what they can pick up and a small portion of hay Night and Morning.
Dexters have long been hailed as hardy and thrifty even adaptable to locations from Africa to snow laden areas. This article I am sharing was written by R. Tait Robertson; he was a famous and most influential Dexter breeder for his day. He was not just any armature Dexter owner, since he was a foundational…
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Genetics of the Dexter Breed
Dwarfing within the Dexter breed is entirely hereditary and does not occur in an individual as a result of a mutation. https://dextercattlesociety.ie/breeding-information
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The Dexter: The SmallHolder’s Cow
Great for Small Acreage Dexters have long been promoted the same way time and time again, “Docile and Hardy little cattle, dubbed the smallholder’s cow because of their ability to exist on about half the acreage of other cattle.” This is the niche market of a Dexter. They are well suited to beginners because they…
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The First American Dexter Cattle Club
For some years a number of herds of Kerry and Dexter Cattle have existed in America.
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THINGS TO CONSIDER ABOUT YOUR HERD IDENTIFIER. A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY!
By Judy Sponaugle of Legacy Another registry “innovation” finds the US herd a hodgepodge of mediocre and forgettable initialed herd names. …
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The American Kerry and Dexter Cattle Club ….series 1st Installment
Many thanks to Judy Sponaugle of the Legacy Registry for providing the Irish Dexter Cattlemen with this valuable information. This is the first in a series of excerpts from The American Kerry and Dexter Cattle Club. It is a great find for all you Dexter history buffs! Seeing some of the old advertisements and recognizing…
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The American Kerry and Dexter Cattle Club….series 2 Installment
Here is the second installment in the series of The American Kerry and Dexter Cattle Club brought to us by Judy Sponaugle of Legacy. Hope your enjoying the series!
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The Dual Purpose Dexter And The Kerry History
How much dairy should we put in to a Dual purpose Dexter cow. If you were to consult the English herd books they would say 40 percent for the “Bag” with the remaining percents being 15 for the “Head and neck”, 25 for the “Body, top line, under-line, ribs, setting of the tail, shortness of…
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The Smallest Breed – a Long History
Of Irish origin, the Dexter was highly valued by peasant farmers of the 1800’s
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The Gift From Our Ancestor
Legacy Dexter Cattle Registry seeks to preserve Irish Dexter bloodlines from the English upgrade/appendix registry. Support Legacy Irish Dexters by registering your Irish Dexters.
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For Many the Dexter breed may have a confusing Past.
When you consider that people in the past were a bit confused about the difference between a Dexter (Dexter Kerry) and a Kerry you understand why it confuses people now. The fact that Dexters were called Dexter Kerry for many years after the two breeds were split from each other, continued to confuse people, thinking…
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LET’S TALK DEXTER WEIGHTS!
Calling all Beef Breeders!!! For anyone who likes a bit of Beef in their dual-purpose Dexters here’s something for you! Have you ever wondered what the Live weight, the Average daily weight gain of live weight, Weight of dressed Carcass, Percentage of carcass to gross live weight, Weight of loose fat and Weight of hide…
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SMALL CATTLE CARRY AWAY BIG HONORS
This article written in Gloucestershire on 27th March 1986 represents a long memorable chapter of the pages in History of Dexter cattle. The Dexter in this article is being noted as truly dual purposed, possessing fine quality small joints of beef, all the while being able to suckle two calves at once and raise 8…
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The importance of the Dexter Head
Did you know the look of a Dexter’s head was important to breeders and that there was what was considered a “Dexter Head”? “Harley Penelope is good to carry in one’s eye as a type of a good Dexter cow. She has the quality and character, a sweet small Dexter head and carries her horns…
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Understanding where Your Dexters came from will Give you a vision for their future.
Enjoy this video from 1949 to see what a common herd of Dexters may have looked like at that time. It would be interesting to see what observations new people to the breed would take away from the video if they were to compare them to many Dexters now available for purchase.
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History helps track changes in a herd over a period of years.
When people ask me why I think the history of Dexter Cattle is important this is just one great reason that I may give. If you see changes over years happening during the foundational years you can see how breeders were interpreting improvement during a time when people were focusing on breed selection to adhere…