Dexter markings?

Dirtslinger · #1 09/27/08, 10:28 AM

I have a new DNA verified, registered red dexter cow. She has a dark (maybe black) mustache, and a few other symmetrical dark spots on her face as well.

What does this mean? Not that I show- but is she simply not show quality?

Really curious on this. I have no experience with jersey's, but I see a resemblance, which genetically is proven not to be the case...

Thanks!

mistletoad · #2 09/27/08, 10:50 AM

I've never seen a purebred Dexter with any markings except perhaps a little white on the udder.

Without knowing what DNA test you had, I would imagine it only tests for the red gene and not Dexter percentage (is there even a test available for that?)

Our heifers have Lucifer of Knotting in their pedigrees so if I see markings I will assume it is a throwback due to that. I thought I had read somewhere that all red Dexters in the US trace back to Lucifer of Knotting (and he is not 100% Dexter).

Dirtslinger · #3 09/27/08, 11:11 AM

Alright at closer inspection she has... a dark brown or black go-tee, dark eyebrows, and what looks like darker fur on the inside or lower ears but that could be dirt.

translplant · #4 09/27/08, 12:05 PM

Dirtslinger
I believe what you are describing is what sometimes is referred to in Dexter-dom as the "wild type" or "E+" red type (which I personally LOVE and am hoping to get in my herd someday) which exhibits dark or black nose and dark hair around the muzzle of the animal. The quintessential version of this would be Cornahir Outlaw whose photo I will attempt to post here...[IMG] Dexter markings? - Cattle

[/IMG]
The other type of red Dexter is sometimes referred to "true" or "e" red and an example would be the two red Dexters seen on my own avatar on this site.

If you got a red test back there may be an e or E+ on the test results which will tell you which one you have. BOTH are great! Enjoy!

Linda R
www.CloverBellFarm.com
Vanleer, Tennessee

Dexter_Cattle · #5 09/28/08, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mistletoad

Our heifers have Lucifer of Knotting in their pedigrees so if I see markings I will assume it is a throwback due to that. I thought I had read somewhere that all red Dexters in the US trace back to Lucifer of Knotting (and he is not 100% Dexter).

Hi Mistletoad,

I think the black accents are alot more common on bulls than on cows, but alot of cows do have them. The Dexter breed has always had red in it. The statement that Lucifer is responsible for red is untrue, and I don't blame you for that, but a number of people like to throw that statement around.

Here are some facts for everyone though. Lucifer is registered as pure in every country he has been imported into which is most countries that have Dexters. He is still considered pure by them.

Hope that helps
Dan

genebo · #6 09/28/08, 07:56 PM

Red has always been found in Dexters, since way back when they were first described in Ireland. There were even a few red Dexters or Dexters that carried red imported into the US. There is a herd of red Dexters out west that was carefully bred from American red Dexters.

There are red Dexters in the US that don't trace their ancestry to either Lucifer or Outlaw, but I'll bet you don't have one. I'l bet you don't know anyone who has one, either. They're extremely scarce.

I've been using the ADCA online pedigree search to try to find red Dexters without Lucifer or Outlaw in them. Other than Wee Gaelic Ms. Fermoy and the few in the western herd, I can't find any.

Of all of Wee Gaelic Ms. Fermoy's offspring, the only red ones all trace their ancestry to Lucifer or Outlaw. When bred to any other line, she produced black calves.

My Brenn carries E+ red, but has never produced a red calf. I wish Wee Gaelic Ms. Fermoy was young enough to have one more calf and I could breed her to Brenn.

Remember that the word "pure" when applied to cattle is often construed to mean "less than fullblooded". In other countries they use a grade system for registering Dexter cattle that are less than fullblooded.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

Dexter_Cattle · #7 09/28/08, 11:13 PM

Hi Genebo,

I agree Lucifer and Outlaw dominate Red Pedigrees, but they didn't create the color they were the color. They were widely used AI Bulls who people felt were the best of the breed at the time. Right or wrong, that was the decision made by people before todays breeders.

Dan

genebo · #8 09/29/08, 08:43 AM

Dan,

In England it was acceptable to outcross a Dexter, then recross the offspring to a Dexter bull, again and again until 5 generations of Dexter were recorded. Then the resulting animal could be registered as a "purebred" Dexter, with a note attached to the registration that would let everyone know that it wasn't "fullblood".

An outcrossing experiment was conducted in England to improve udders. The offspring from this experiment were eventually accepted into the herd book with proper notation.

Lucifer and Outlaw were offspring of this experiment, as were many others. When breeders wanted to import some of these cattle to the US, they chose two red bulls from all the bulls available.

I don't know if their red color came from their Dexter background or another background or if there is even any difference. I know that the improved udders combined with the red color made them very popular.

A couple of years ago, I totaled the number of Dexters registered with the ADCA and then traced the descendants of Lucifer. It was a tedious job, and I'm bound to have missed a few, but the end result was that Lucifer could be found in 12% of all registrations.

Lucifer sired 63 offspring. Just one of his sons, Glencara Finerty, has 45 registered offspring. One of his sons, MLW Rory, sired 159 offspring. One of his 24 registered sons has sired 15 offspring. In a rare breed like Dexters, it doesn't take long to permeate the herd.

The herd as a whole has changed. Red has become a common color. Four years ago, there wasn't a red Dexter registered in my state. Now there are many. Open a magazine with an article on Dexters and you'll see red ones. Visit the associations' web sites and you'll see red ones. They're not rare any more.

People like novelty. It's the novelty of our small cattle that attracts them in the first place. Tell them that a particular color is more unusual and they'll want it, whether it's red Angus or red Dexters. So that explains the rapid proliferation of the red color.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

cowkeeper · #9 09/29/08, 01:30 PM

The Experimental breeding was not for udder improvement, it was an failed attempt to breed a bull that would not sire bulldog calves (fatal genetic defect when dwarfism is inherited from sire and dam).

Dexter_Cattle · #10 09/29/08, 02:24 PM

Genebo,

There is no reason to argue. He is registered as an equal to any other Dexter.

Dan