Although Dexters are one of the smallest purebred bovine breeds in the world, there are 2 types...The smaller "dwarf" animal (known as the short-leg), which has the potential to carry the lethal bulldog gene, and the proportionate, now-dwarf type (known as the long-leg) which does not.
First I want to clear up some gross mis-information that has been posted elsewhere which states that short-legged Dexters are infertile: Short-legged Dexters are NOT sterile! If short-legged Dexters were incapable of reproducing, the need to inform you of the bulldog gene wouldn't exist, as it is by breeding short-leg to short-leg that increases the potential of producing a bulldog calf (see the percentage chart below).
This lethal gene (the same gene that is thought to cause dwarfism in humans) can cause cows to abort a fetus that is known as a bulldog calf. Usually born dead, (or dying within a few hours after birth), a bulldog calf appears to have few bones in the body with the feet being attached at the shoulder, and a protruding bottom jaw on a very large head. There are varying degrees in the severity of defect in these calves, but it is always fatal. This defect is not limited to the Dexter breed, and, in fact, often affects even the larger breeds of cattle, but because of the Dexter's small stature, it has been thought to occur more frequently.
Current accepted breeding result percentages are as follows:
*A dwarf bred to a dwarf produces 25% bulldog, 25% proportionate, and 50% dwarf.
*A dwarf bred to a proportionate animal produces 50% dwarf and 50% proportionate.
*A proportionate bred to a proportionate produces 100% proportionate.
This being said, there is some controversy as to how accurate the report of bulldog percentages in dwarf animals really is, since it's not been established that all dwarf-type Dexters carry this defective gene. It's my understanding that there are 2 short-legged Dexter lines, Cranworth and Woodmagic, that have been proven NOT to carry this gene. A test to detect this lethal gene has been completed in Australia, and is now available to Dexter breeders in the U.S. This important break-through gives Dexter breeders the ability to identify and cull those animals before passing on this lethal trait.
(information gathered from ADCA literature, and through conversations with other Dexter breeders) |
