# Irish Dexter Cattle



## hogfarmer (Dec 7, 2014)

My brother is starting to talk about these Dexter cattle. Are they practical or are they two small to amount to much. I know nothing about them and wanted to see if any of you did. Thanks!!


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Read up on them. Some have a gene or whatever that causes a mutation making them worthless (financially). I believe they are a great dual (or even tri) purpose breed for the homesteader who wants to live off the land. Commercially not so much. What are you looking to do?

Make money=no dexter.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Here's what I know about them
Usually under 1,000lbs
Females have horns, too. 
VERY docile, predictable cattle.
Good looking steer.
Beef from them is delicious (had some just a few hours ago)
My neighbor did very well with his and had successfully bred them.


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## JMT (Aug 10, 2013)

A landlord we rent pasture from has Dexters. Very small, mature cows average 600 to 700 lbs., mature bull around 1000 lbs. Very limited market for them, but if you can find someone who wants them, breeding stock can bring a high price (for what they are). If you are selling feeders or fats you better have a corner of a niche market. At a conventional market, they would be a train wreck.

My experience with the beef from them has been negative. Some of the fat, especially near the bone has a foul rank taste. Helped to trim fat but still tainted the rest of the meat.

My experience is probably bad due to how the steers were fed though. My landlord tries to "finish" them on grass and average quality mixed grass hay. Steers my landlord butchered are older than they should be and have gone through periods of flesh and times when they have lost weight. Definitely not a good way to fatten beef.

If someone is a marketing specialist, dexters might work for them. Otherwise, in my opinion they are nothing but a large pet.

Oh, yeah I forgot to mention, disposition seems to be good until we get them up to vaccinate them. Then they get really flighty. Combine that with horns, and it makes me very uncomfortable.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I view Dexters about like I do Miniature Horses, Emus, Potbelly Pigs etc. They remind me of a pyramid scheme. Get in early and make money. Buy in late and are left holding the bag.

I can see where Dexters could be an option for a small place with limited acres. Size alone says they will be less expensive to feed. Dexters seem to have a foothold and a small following. There is always a segment of the population that likes something different, likes to talk about how their's is a little unique.

Raise some grass fed, all natural, organic Dexter cattle and cover all the niches.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

My neighbor did get out of dexters and into angus. So that tells you something, too.


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## JMT (Aug 10, 2013)

My landlord is also getting out of dexters. But because he is selling some property. I know he is having a hard time finding a buyer for his, although I don't think he is trying to sell real hard (dexters or property).

I also know that his dexter experience was definitely a "hobby", not a money making venture.

If your brother decides he wants some I might know where to find them.


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## Hokelund Farm (Feb 4, 2014)

A guy from my church was the head of one of the Dexter associations in the US until he passed away. From what I understand they are a great option for smaller pasture based acreages where large framed breeds aren't an option, and where you plan on direct marketing the finished beef.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Hokelund Farm said:


> A guy from my church was the head of one of the Dexter associations in the US until he passed away. From what I understand they are a great option for smaller pasture based acreages where large framed breeds aren't an option, and where you plan on direct marketing the finished beef.


I can see where a smaller half or quarter would be easier to sell sometimes. A Dexter would be finished while a larger breed would still be growing.

Selling direct would be a nice niche market option for someone wanting to go that route.


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## Hokelund Farm (Feb 4, 2014)

Exactly, you can have more head/acre than a large frame animal, giving you more quarters/halves. I'm not a breeding expert but since they are such a small framed animal they haven't really been bred to commercially finish on grain so most Dexters do excellent on pasture.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

In any event, and no matter the breed, now is not the time to get into cattle. Record highs in the beef industry always brings out the guys trying to make a buck on cattle. If you and your brother are doing it as a hobby, I say why not. If you are going to try to make some money at it, prepare yourself to lose money quickly.

For what it is worth, if you have the pasture there are a lot of breeds of beef cattle that would be better suited to that purpose than Dexters. I personally wouldn't touch them.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

Lostin55 said:


> In any event, and no matter the breed, now is not the time to get into cattle. Record highs in the beef industry always brings out the guys trying to make a buck on cattle. If you and your brother are doing it as a hobby, I say why not. If you are going to try to make some money at it, prepare yourself to lose money quickly.
> For what it is worth, if you have the pasture there are a lot of breeds of beef cattle that would be better suited to that purpose than Dexters. I personally wouldn't touch them.


Like a Hereford. More preferably a Hereford X.


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## Hokelund Farm (Feb 4, 2014)

Getting into cattle now does not mean losing money - it all depends on what the plan is. It would be very easy to lose money buying any type of livestock if it doesn't fit your operation.

If you have some pasture and plan on direct marketing - just make sure you fairly build your cost of production into your sale price. A 1/4 beef will probably still be cheaper than grocery store beef. You won't have any trouble selling your product and you will make a little bit of money.


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## Farmmomcorinne (Dec 10, 2014)

I'm totally new here but saw this post on the Dexters and I'll respond as an Irish Dexter breeder. 

They are great natured - in general. We do use a squeeze chute to vaccinate, palpate, etc because we know they are cows and bigger than us.

Not all Irish Dexters have horns. We purposefully breed to get the red and polled in our herd. Not always successful, but those are what folks are paying top $ for.

As for size, they are about 1/3 the size of most beef cows but consume only about 1/2 as much feed. And they tend to yield about 10-15% more than a typical Angus. More cows per acre ...

They are wonderfully multipurposed so yes, those with smaller homestead farms, love them. Better quality milk - higher butterfat - than a Jersey, a cow that can be finished on grass alone AND one that can be trained as an oxen (for those with horns).

As for foul tasting meat, I don't know what happened to that one. I do know from our own experience in buying Dexter meat before we purchased them, we've had mixed feelings. Personally, I think the butcher you use can make or break your meat. :/ In our own herd, we recently culled a couple - one being a 9 year old BULL. He was seriously the best tasting beef we've ever had. And thanks to him, we now have a waiting list for our spring beef. Again, personally, I also believe how the cows are treated can make a difference. We walked our bull out of the trailer at the butchers with his halter on.

From a breeders prospective - 99% of ours are breeding stock for other breeders and new breeders - they are cost effective. Again, they consume 1/2 the feed. We typically sell our weanling bull calves in the $900-1000 range and weanling heifers can range from $1200-1800.One of the reasons the Irish Dexters are NOTHING like mini horses or emus is their numbers & cull rates. No one's eating any minis and very little emus.  The Irish Dexter cattle are listed on the American Livestock Breed Conservancy's endangered list. I think there is still plenty of room for many to make money - folks are getting smarter about their food and are realizing all the health benefits of grass fed beef. That said, if you don't treat it like a business, it won't be. Folks aren't going to come running up to your door throwing money at you. You've got to market whatever you have.

We do also sell traditional Angus/Angus-x beef that we co-op from other, traditional growers. We have them finish on grass alone and get them a lot more money in the end.

Feel free to take a look at what we're doing. Or not.  They are great little cows.

Corinne Logan

Willows Edge Farm

Boise, ID

www.willowsedgefarm.com


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I almost felt sad when my neighbor got rid of his. They were like big pets. His were not all that small, either.


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