BD1 - part of or introduced?

[outofthebox]

I was reading up on all things cows, nothing specific when I came across a written sentence on a page which had me wondering..........

1. Was chondrodysplasia introduced to the Dexter breed?
2. Early 1800's saw a group of short legged, round bodied cows grouped togother and named Dexter - is this true or someone's perception of the breed known as the Dexter, origins?

[jamshundred]

Good morning,

I am a breeder of dwarf cattle. I am also an avid researcher. I have been studying the early Irish herdbooks as well as the early English ones and other literature. They have fortified my opinions about dwarfism. The Dexter breed was organized as a DWARF breed of cattle. It simply had to be. Were there cattle that were "non-carriers"? Of course! When you breed two carriers together one option for the calf is to be a non-carrier. ( My least favorite Dexter type is the long-leg non-carrier product of two carriers).

In all the photos I've seen of earlier Dexters there are few non-carriers evident. I have a new collection of early Dexters I am about to add to my website, along with the completed "appendix" registry entries ( upgraded animals) to 2000. No one else has ever compiled these animals. I have all four categories just about ready to upload. I have almost completed the entire pedigree of the foundation animals for the Colorado herd ( closed in the mid 1970's and established on only 5 Dexters) which go back to the foundation stock in Ireland. Some of the animals in these pedigrees will be found in other tradiional bloodlines in the US and those breeders might find their entended bloodlines of interest. ( For those interested you can look through the pedigree of Colorado Maire. Not quite finished but getting close).

Years of experience lead me to believe that the base characteristics that described the Dexter breed came from the dwarf genetics. This includes size, but also the immune system, the forage conversion, but most importantly the personality.

I have a photo of Dexter cattle at a show just after the mid-1800's. Both the female and male are definitely carriers. Pictures from the earliest herdbooks are nearly all dwarf cattle and these are the ones that appeared to win in the show ring. Another thing I've noticed in the early breeding records. . bulldog calves did not seem to me to be of great numbers until about mid 20th century when the numbers seemed to increase in English herds drastically. I've been chewing on that. . .

In the first Irish herdbooks there seemed to be no restriction on size or weight. Just color. The breed was established on inspection ( QBI-qualified by inspection) is noted on most early animals ( and in the Legacy records). Any animal(Dexter type I assume) that won a prize or commendation at shows was eligible for entry.

When the breed was established in the late 1800's there was a variety of breeders with a cow here and there but I notice a few breeders I would probably term "cattle traders, speculators, or opportunists" began to flood the breed after the turn of the century. More on this later. I am traveling today and need to get movin'


Judy

I tried to add the description in the English herd book # 1 but I cannot get it to paste. Will do that later as well.

[outofthebox]

Thank you Judy and Genebo.

Thats the version I have believed but needed the verification.

Its terribly disappointing to read breeders websites where chondrodysplasia is spoken of as something foreign, to be avoided but that is an argument that I have seen drawn out in many posts here so will leave it alone before the question becomes an international debate again.

Correction: I meant late 1880s not the early part thereof. Sorry for the confusions.

[lakeportfarms]

Gene, I have a similar story, though our bull didn't almost get run over.

Our vet, who has dozens of years of experience with all breeds of cattle, had taken care of our horses for a few years before we decided to get the cattle. We brought Mike back to the orchard that we had just bought, along with another shortie Dexter cow to go along with some of the Angus we had purchased a few months before to clean up the property. When they were all assembled, we had him out to preg check them and just go over their condition and health. When he walked around the corner of the building and saw Mike, he let out an audible gasp. With all his experience, he had never seen such a thing. He went back to the clinic and told everyone there, and he told everyone that were on his regular farm calls about this bull that came up to his waist but weighed nearly a thousand pounds. I had long time beef and dairy farmers drop by so they could see him and our little cow Cedar, who I almost straddle with my feet on the ground if she wasn't so wide.

Soon, we had people driving slowly down the road trying to get a glimpse of Mike (and Cedar) in the pasture. Some would see us out there and stop to ask about him. People in the area we didn't know that we would casually say something about our cattle and where our farm was would say "I heard about that bull that looks like a miniature buffalo"! Mike made us famous around here.