West Kidland Farm
Knowstone, North devon		Contentment is Flavour

Dexter Cattle

The Dexter originated in the South-West of Ireland and was introduced into the UK in 1882. It is the smallest of British breeds and is the only true "dual-purpose" cow. The average weight of a cow is between 300 and 350 kgs. Dexters are known for their strong maternal instinct and as a dual-purpose breed they milk consistently well, thus giving the calf the best possible start in life. Calving problems are rare, and we calve all our cattle outdoors. Newly born calves are remarkably swift at getting to their feet to commence suckling. Heifers mature young and are generally put to the bull between 15 and 18 months of age. The breed is noted for its productivity and longevity and should calve regularly for up to 14 years. The beef is noted for its quality, taste and marbling. All of our beef comes from our own stock. Our steers are finished between 24 and 28 months on a purely grass diet, as we have no need of supplementary feeding. Our Beef Price list is on the Our Produce page.

We keep a small herd of Pedigree Dexter Cattle, with (currently) seven cows, two heifers, three steers and one bull. Our cows go by the names of Blackcurrant, Peewit and Daisy (mother and daughter), Belle, Old Daisy, Chloe and finally Bluebell. Our heifers go by the names of Fern and Felicity. The steers are known as Frederic, Fergus and Figaro (2011). Our Bull is called Knightsway Charlie 2nd, and our cows think he is a very handsome fellow!! Below are some pictures of some of our Dexters (and random Jersey!) past and present.

Some photos of our Cattle