HOWLING OAK RANCH
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Dexter Cattle
Dexter cattle are the smallest breed of cattle. They are not miniatures, but have been bred for small stature for hundreds of years. These cattle have been described as "the ideal smallholder's cow" because they efficiently turn low-quality forages into beef and milk without requiring a large acreage. Some Dexters are also used as draft animals. Dexters may be horned or polled, and may have black, red or dun (tan) coats.
Our small herd of Dexters is black and genetically horned (though some are chemically polled). One heifer carries the red hair color, and we hope to get some red calves from her in the future. We also plan to select bulls that will bring the polled gene into our herd.
Dexters are easy to care for, easy on our fences, and provide the right-sized carcass for our freezer. We hope to grow our herd over the next several years, and will then have the occasional Dexter for sale.
