Dexter Cattle

Dexters can be black, red or dun and come in a short or medium-legged type. Here at Cwmchwefru we concentrate on the medium-legged type, producing quiet, well-handled pedigree heifers to supply an increasing demand. The Dexter, after nearly becoming extinct in the 1960s, is now no longer classed as a Rare Breed, having found its niche on commercial farms as well as amongst smallholders.

Those who have only seen Dexters in the show ring will be familiar with the short-legged type but there are several breeders who now concentrate on the medium-legged type: they are still full-pedigree animals, the only difference being that they do not carry the gene which causes the dwarfing of the skeleton, so that the proportion of leg to body is different. In our experience they are hardier, live longer, and are more practical, being easier to milk with the udder carried higher above the ground, and also better for suckling large commercial calves for the same reason. Calves are handled from birth and we usually have quiet stock of all ages for sale.