A little white ...

[tonhou]

The ADCA Membership book says "A little white on the organs of generation is permissible." This is a 3 month old bull calf registered in NZ. The breeding behind it is very good.
Would these white hairs be considered a serious genetic fault or just cosmetically undesirable?
In NZ white is only allowed on testicles otherwise the animal must be flagged with an asterisk in the herd register.

--Tony

Attachments:

[ladena]

I was hoping someone would answer this question.
It would not bother me personally.

[dexterfarm]

that is very common. Many fave a lot more white than yours. Mine has about the same spot as yours does.

[littlecowfl]

I have a cow with white around her udder and a spot of white on her tail tip. Her calves have been all black except one, who is a steer anyway. Many would not keep her but she has a lovely temperament, nice conformation, and a lovely udder. She is also my boss cow and will adopt a second calf. I need her. Good thing I don't show cattle because she would be marked down in the ring.

[tonhou]

Thanks to those who responded. It seems that it is just cosmetically undesirable to some of you. In NZ there are some who think it is a chronic fault that should see him steered - despite very good breeding.

--Tony

[rattleshirt]

I don't understand that kind of thinking. Steer an animal because of some white hairs? Bleh. There is a reason I don't like shows.

[jamboru]

White is inherent in the Dexter breed. Many of the early photos show white udders. I understand we don't need sunburnt teats but "no white" seems a bit extreme considering foundation cows appear to have had white. Do any Dexter historians know when the man-made solid colour rules were introduced to the various herd books, and why?

[Cascade Meadows Farm - Kirk]

Jan 26, 2013 17:01:14 GMT -5 jamboru said:

White is inherent in the Dexter breed. Many of the early photos show white udders. I understand we don't need sunburnt teats but "no white" seems a bit extreme considering foundation cows appear to have had white. Do any Dexter historians know when the man-made solid colour rules were introduced to the various herd books, and why?

UK says a little white is ok

Here's the UK language

"Wholly black, wholly red and wholly dun are of equal merit. A little white will not disqualify but must be limited to:
Bulls: a small amount on the organs of generation and in the tassel of the tail. There must be no white forward of the navel or on any other part of the body.
Cows: a small amount on the udder and underline, in the tassel of the tail and on the vulva. There must be no white forward of the navel or on any other part of the body."

www.dextercattle.co.uk/breed-info/breed-standard/

[lindonestate]

I read ~somewhere now~, that in the 'early days' shorties were registered as Dexters and longies were registered as Kerry.
Dexters were solid colour and Kerry's were varied.

White is an undesirable, but not a disqualification nor should it be a reason to cull unless you have a 'painted' Dexter appear.

Why do so many breeders choose to "throw the baby out with the bath water"


(Wish I had bookmarked that info now)

[kansasdexters]

Hello Lindonstate,

In January 1887, the Farmer's Gazette" published the first register of Dexter (and Kerry) cattle in Ireland. Then, in 1890, this registery was published by the Royal Dublin Society, as the Kerry and Dexter Herd Book, Volume 1. Here are the Rules and Regulations for the Royal Dublin Society's Kerry and Dexter Herd Book applicable to the Foundation Herd, as excerpted from the Herd Book preface, first published in 1890:

Foundation Herd

1. All animals entered in the first, second, and third issues of the Kerry Register, as published by the Farmer's Gazette, shall be accepted as the basis of the Royal Dublin Society's Kerry and Dexter Herd Book. The numbers given to each animal shall be the Herd Book number of that animal.

2. Any animal not entered in the Kerry or Dexter Herd Book which shall receive a Prize or Commendation at any Show held in the United Kingdom, where there is a separate classification for Kerries and Dexters, shall be eligible for entry in the Herd Book, provided that the Royal Dublin Society shall nominate the Judges at such Show, and that they comply with the following conditions as to Colour:

Kerry Bulls must be pure black, with the exception of a few gray hairs about the organs of generation, in animals of exceptional merit.

Kerry Cows and Heifers must be pure black, with exception of white on the udder, in animals of exceptional merit.

Dexter Bulls and Cows may be either black or red, with a little white.

The American Kerry and Dexter Cattle Club, established in 1911, registered Kerry cattle separately from Dexter cattle. It also registered red Kerry cattle, which were born from black Kerry cattle that carried the recessive red gene.

For your reference: archive.org/details/americankerrydex00amer

The desire to eliminate any white markings in pedigreed breeding stock came from the notion that white markings on any animal in a breed that was supposed to be solid black (Kerry) or solid black or solid red (Dexter) in color represented a lack of purity in the animal's breeding. So the animals with white markings were viewed as less desirable for registered breeding stock. A variance from this requirement was still allowed for animals of exceptional merit that had only a small amount of white on the organs of generation (bulls) or on the udder (cows).

Patti

[kansasdexters]

Here are some additional links that are good reference for the early days of registered Dexter Cattle in the United States:

www.dextercattle.org/Bulletins/1911-OctBulletin.pdf
www.dextercattle.org/Bulletins/1912-MarchBulletin.pdf
www.dextercattle.org/Bulletins/1912-NovemberBulletin.pdf
www.dextercattle.org/Bulletins/1914-NovemberBulletin.pdf
www.dextercattle.org/Bulletins/1915-JanuaryBulletin.pdf

And of course, John Paterson's Dex-Info:
dex-info.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html


Patti

[cddexter]

keeping in mind that in the first edition of the herd book once it was in the control of the Royal Dublin Society, red Kerrys were registered, and there are multiple examples of animals with white in areas outside the recommendation.

It's not all written in stone, guys. ;D cheers, c.

[kansasdexters]

One of the Dexter cow entries in the Royal Dublin Society Kerry and Dexter Herd Book, Volume One, 1890, was even for a white Dexter cow (she must have been quite exceptional):

126 LILY II - White, with very little red; calved 1887; owner, The Earl of Rosse, Birr Castle, Parsonstown. Earmark No. 1090. Qualified by inspection.

and there was also:

134 MIDGE - Black, hind feet white; calved May 6, 1888; owner and breeder, The Right Hon. Viscount de Vesci, Abbeyleix House, Abbeyleiz; sire Feale. Earmark No. 229. Qualified by inspection.


Patti

[ltfdexters]

Our older breed cow is black - except for a white hand-sized spot under her right "armpit"/elbow.
None of her calves with us (she has just had her 4th) have any white at all; all but the last one are black, this year's is red.

Putting down or steering a bull for as few white hairs as the one posted seems like an unnecessary waste to me.

[janmar]

Once again, the few white hairs will have no effect on the taste of the meat. So when you are finished using him as a bull use him for food.