A short legged dexter bull with a long legged steer shows the height difference at 7 months old.
Chondrodysplasia
There seems to be a lot of misinformation on ‘Chondro’ & it was a major concern of mine in my initial research. To make it worse, they use any number of terms for the same thing. Short legged Dexters are also known as BD1 Carriers, BD2 Carriers, Dwarf, or Non proportionate. We call them short legged Dexters because they are! Long legged Dexters are also known as Non Carrier, Proportionate or Non dwarf. Some sites will lead you to believe a shortie is a mutant beast that will wreak havoc on your breeding program. That’s not the case.
The short legged Dexter is a carrier of a gene known as Chondrodysplasia. This gene can be tested for & apart from inbreeding, the only restriction is that 2 carriers of the gene should not be joined. (A short legged bull over a short legged cow) This can result in a “bulldog calf” which is a deformed fetus that is delivered dead. It is strongly advisable to avoid this mating. Joining a long legged bull over a long legged cow will always produce a long legged calf. Joining a short legged bull over a long legged cow or a long legged bull over a short legged cow there is an even 50/50 chance of producing a long or short legged calf. The ‘shorties’ have quickly become favourites here & we look forward to breeding more.
Lusatia Park Hershey moments after her birth. Her dam Cleo was a 1st time calver & was a fantastic mum.
Breeding
You don’t need to own a bull to breed from your cows. Artificial Insemination (AI) is very common. You can rent a bull from a stud or agist your cows to the stud with a bull. There are pros & cons with each option, although the effort to get the females pregnant is well worth it as watching calves being born is an absolute joy.
PHA (Pulmonary Hypoplasia with Anasarca)
Pulmonary Hypoplasia with Anasarca (PHA) is a genetic anomaly in several breeds of cattle including Dexters. The gene can been confirmed by an inexpensive DNA test. PHA is the result of a chromosomal mutation that results in incomplete formation of the lungs and fluid accumulation in the tissues and body cavities of the calf. In order to be PHA affected, a calf must inherit a PHA gene from both its sire and dam. PHA calves are either stillborn or aborted. All cattle at Lusatia Park Dexter Stud are either tested PHA Free or are ‘Free by Inheritance’.