Help & FAQ

DexterTank is a global marketplace and knowledge hub for Dexter cattle genetics — semen and embryos — plus a free, worldwide index of genetics listings found elsewhere on the web (the Roundup), a browsable directory of Dexter breeders and studs (the Atlas), news from the global Dexter community, a genetics price index, and the breed's Irish history and foundation bloodlines. The central gathering place for the world's Dexter community — the family-cow breed's home online.

Browsing the marketplace, the Roundup, the Atlas directory, news, price data, and all educational content is free. Sellers list for free during launch; there is a small platform fee only when a sale is completed on-site.

The Roundup is our free, attributed index of Dexter genetics listings found on breeders' own websites around the world. Each entry shows the facts — the sire, what's for sale, the price when stated, and its Chondro/PHA/A2 status when published — plus a link straight back to the breeder's original page. We never rehost a breeder's photos or ad copy; the Roundup points you to the source.

The Atlas is a free international directory of Dexter breeders, studs, and registries — by country and region, with a link to each one's own website. It's the consolidated map of who's raising and selling Dexters worldwide, from the Irish and British heartland to North America, Australia, and New Zealand.

To be listed as a DexterTank seller, create a free account and post your genetics. If you find your own public listings in the Roundup and want them removed, click 'This is my listing — remove it' on any card and enter an email address on your own website's domain; we'll send a one-click removal link there. Requests from other addresses go to manual review, so no one but you can remove your listings.

For DexterTank seller listings, you can purchase or bid directly on the listing page. For Roundup entries (third-party listings from around the web), click through to the breeder's own site to buy — those aren't DexterTank vendors, and we link you to the source. Semen is sold per straw and embryos per embryo; prices are set by each seller.

Dexter semen commonly sells for roughly US$30–$90 per straw depending on the sire (elite homozygous-polled or A2/A2 bulls at the top of that range; sexed straws carry a premium, often $90–$95). In the UK it's typically about £15–£25 per straw, and in Australia it is often sold as a collection 'share' of 19–28 straws. Embryos are usually priced on request. Always confirm current pricing with the specific seller — listings and prices change.

Chondrodysplasia (Chondro) is the dominant gene behind the classic short-legged Dexter. One copy gives the desirable short animal, but breeding two carriers together risks a lethal 'bulldog' calf. PHA (Pulmonary Hypoplasia with Anasarca) is a separate recessive lethal with the same carrier-times-carrier risk. Both are DNA-testable, so responsible sellers state each animal's Chondro and PHA status (carrier or free). Reading those two results before you buy semen or embryos is the single most important step in Dexter breeding — DexterTank surfaces them prominently on every listing that provides them.

A2/A2 refers to the beta-casein milk-protein genotype. Milk from A2/A2 cattle is marketed as more easily digestible, and many family-milk-cow buyers specifically seek A2/A2 genetics. It's a common premium attribute on Dexter semen listings, though A2 status says nothing about milk yield or udder quality — it's one trait among several to weigh.

Often, yes — Dexter genetics have moved between Ireland, the UK, North America, Australia, and New Zealand for decades. There is no Dexter-specific export scheme; semen moves through general export-approved collection studs (in the US, look for CSS-certified / USDA-APHIS export-approved centers). Requirements vary by destination — Australia, for example, requires a DAFF import permit and health certification — so always confirm import rules with the seller and your own animal-health authority before purchasing.

Create a free account, then post a listing with the sire/animal, product type (semen or embryos), price, quantity, and — importantly for Dexters — the Chondro, PHA, A2, colour, and polled status from DNA testing, plus the registration number and registry. Listing is free during launch. Getting paid on-site uses Stripe Connect — a short one-time onboarding so funds reach your account.

Listing is free during launch. DexterTank takes a small platform fee only on completed on-site sales. You keep full control of your listings and can edit or remove them any time.

A Dexter is the smallest traditional cattle breed of the British Isles — a compact, hardy, dual-purpose (milk and beef) animal from south-western Ireland, especially County Kerry and Tipperary, where a 'Mr Dexter' is credited with fixing the type around 1750. Dexters come in black, red, and dun, stand about half the height of a mainstream cow, and are prized today as the archetypal family milk cow and small-acreage breed.

No. Dexters are a genuine ancient heritage breed with their own herd books going back to 1890, listed by conservation bodies like the Livestock Conservancy. They are naturally small. Many modern 'miniature' cattle, by contrast, were created recently by downsizing standard breeds — often using Dexter blood. If you want a registered, pedigreed small cow with a real history, that's a Dexter.

It comes down to one gene. Short-legged (or 'short'/'beef-type') Dexters carry one copy of the chondrodysplasia gene, giving the classic deep, short-bodied look. Non-short ('long-legged'/proportionate/Kerry-type) Dexters don't carry it and are taller and rangier. The practical point: two carriers bred together risk a lethal bulldog calf, while two non-carriers never can — which is why the DNA test result matters more than the label. Be cautious of a 'three types' claim; genetically there are two, and it's no substitute for an actual Chondro test.

Dexters come in three recognised whole colours: black (most common), red, and dun (a diluted brown-gold). They were traditionally horned, but polled (naturally hornless) lines are now widespread and common on semen listings — polled is genetically dominant. Both coat colour and polled status are DNA-testable and usually stated on breeding stock and semen.

They're right-sized. A Dexter is gentle, easy for one person to handle, light on pasture, ideal for rotational and regenerative grazing, and gives a household-scale supply of both rich milk and beef from a single small animal on modest acreage — often with A2/A2 milk. That combination of heritage-breed character and practical small-farm economics is behind the breed's strong resurgence over the last two decades.

Ireland and the United Kingdom are the breed's historic home, and the largest modern populations are in the UK, North America, and northern Europe (DAD-IS reported Dexters in 16 countries in 2023). Active registries and breeders also operate in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The Atlas directory on this site maps them worldwide.

Read the Dexter story and the foundation-animal pages to learn where the breed came from, browse the Atlas to see breeders worldwide and the Roundup to see genetics for sale, and follow the news feed for what's happening across the global community. When you're ready to breed, learn the Chondro/PHA/A2 basics first — the help assistant below can walk you through any of it.