Genetics

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 in pedigrees and photos to document what genes might have been passed on from their ancestors. Looking at a bull alone will never tell you anything deeper about his genetics, than what you can evaluate with your eye. A nice-looking bull tells you nothing about what type of milk production his dam might of possessed. Thankfully with photos we can look back on bulls like Atlantic Spratt and see that he had a lot to offer besides just good looks. The fact that Spratt was presented at the show tells us that his dam was qualified by performance records, because it was a requirement to enter the show. Though none of the cows are perfect and much improvements can still be had in generations to come, evaluating them and their records goes to show that they were cows that could surely fill the pail.

From this photo we can see where Atlantic Spratt got some of his good looks from. His sire was Grinstead Toby, a Reserve Champion Dexter, but to dig deeper I will investigate some of the females in Toby’s pedigree.

This is Grinstead Trixie the 8th. Lady Loder the breeder, was known for only selecting sires out of cows with proven milking records. Though this cow may seem like she has less than perfect attachment at 10 years old(the age in photo), she looks to have a good amount of volume. You will see in the article above, Trixie is “Queen of the Dairy Show” in October 1953 (then 13 years old and winning first prize for 3 running years). She was a top Dexter cow out of cows that were milking at 4 and a half gallons of milk a day. Lady Loder was known to cull hard and keep to a high standard. Trixie the 8th could have had improved udder attachment, but she definitely filled her part as a solid milk cow. Now I shall dig a bit further back in history to give the reader a greater understanding. Let us next consider Grinstead Trixie the second and likewise the original Trixie herself.

The Original Trixie of 1904 Foundation to Grinstead Herd

Just to give a very interesting historical compass to the full impact of the Grinstead Trixie line, let us delve deep into history, back to November 1919 when the original Trixie was being written about. The original Trixie was one of an original 12 cows that were obtained by Lady Lodger. Of those original cows she only kept three, Trixie being one of three top cows. Those 3 cows were chosen for their milking powers. Trixie was born in 1904 and was a foundation cow for the Royal Dublin Society. By 1919 she had produced her 14th calf, proving to be productive and already fairly long lived. What an exceptional cow to start your herd from. This cow was the foundation of Lady Loders Grinstead herd and imprinted her name on the herd for generations to come. Lady Loder in other statements had complained about some of the low quality Dexters that were being sold. Lady Loder may not have started with the best stock, but she culled down to just three cows to build her herd from and only used proven bulls that possessed dairy traits worth passing on to their offspring. She had a focused eye that considered the breed standard when evaluating and considering her Dexters by. Her legacy is one worth being remembered and replicated, showing you do not need much to start out with, but rather have a quest for quality and be willing to cull to obtain it.

Murrel Peach Blossom who was likewise related to Atlantic Spratt was a challenge cup winner.

Grinstead Hawk obtained a register of merit for milk production in 1940, won 1st in the milking trails and won the reserve Nutt challenge cup and many more competitions. Though her flat feet and titlted teat may jump out as not quite perfect, there is much to be appriciated in a cow with solid milk production.

Peach Blossom of Claragh won 2nd place for a cow in milk while competing against mature cows.

In conclusion to this article, I will leave you with this cow Grinstead Watercress, bred by Lady Loder though not directedly related to Spratt. This cow is graceful and well balanced a testament to her breeding. Some may say that she is not deep enough, but for a cow that I believe to be non chondro born in 1920 I’d say she is quite beautiful indeed. I hope this article inspires people, no matter the size of your herd or no matter how long you have been breeding that their is always room for improvement, no matter the current genetics in your herd. In order to truely preserve the wonderful Dexter traits of yesterday we must also be willing to impove our cattle of today.