Dexters as a

Commercial Dairy Breed

Dexters are often promoted as prolific milk producers for their size. Average milk production has often been put at around 10 litres per day, the milk being of very good quality with high butterfat and protein levels. However, not all Dexters are equal in their dairying qualities. As a traditional dual-purpose breed, some Dexter lines have been bred to maintain a balance between beef and milk, some have been bred to develop their beef qualities, only some for their commercial dairying qualities.

In the United Kingdom, a number of commercial dairy herds of Dexters operated in the 20th century but few remain in existence today. In every country with Dexters, there is likely to be at least one or two Dexter dairy herds. But the Dexter is primarily a smallholder's cow, and the Holstein-Friesian breed has come to dominate modern commercial dairying.

Some Dexter milking records exist but care must be taken to note the farming conditions and economic context. In the UK, Dexter dairy cows have yielded on average 10 to 12 litres daily (3050 to 3660 litres per 305 day lactation), with some individual cows yielding 14 litres or more (4080 litres per 305 day lactation). By contrast, the Animal Improvement Institute at Irene in South Africa found there that Dexters produced an average of 2190 litres of milk at 3.93% butterfat and 3.54% protein for an average 283 day lactation. An individual record for a 3 year old cow was 3451 litres of milk at 4.02% butterfat and 3.74% protein. In the UK, average butterfat is well over 4% and protein 3.5%. In general, for their size, Dexters can be prolific milk producers with high butterfat and protein scores.

However, Dexters do not provide as much milk production per head as the main dairy breeds. But Dexters remain an important option as a house cow for the smallholder, or in more marginal ecological settings, or when organic production is a focus. They also provide a point of difference for market-niche economic reasons, such as specialist cheese production.

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