 The Devon, sometimes called North Devon, to distinguish it from the South Devon breed, is one of the oldest beef breeds in existence today. In fact some authorities consider the Devon's origin to be prehistoric, the assumption being that the breed descended directly from Bos lonqifrons, the smaller type of aboriginal cattle in Britain. In fact, according to an official reference material compiled by the Devon Cattle Breeders Society, Somerset, England; Devon Cattle - The Red Rubies, it appears that the Red Cattle of North Devon may have contributed to the Hereford and other British breeds.
The Devon was previously classified as a dual-purpose breed. Over the past half century, however, the breed has--through selection--evolved as a beef-type breed which is registered and promoted by the Devon Cattle Association, Inc. A Milking Devon strain (unique to America) has been maintained and is represented by the American Milking Devon Cattle Association.
The native home of the Devon is in southwestern England, primarily in the counties of Devon, Somerset, Cornwall, and Dorset. For centuries, herds of red cattle grazed the grass covered hills of this cool, moist region. History records that the Romans took notice of the red cattle when they occupied this area in 55 B.C. There is some evidence that the seagoing Phoenicians may have brought some ancestral red stock from northern Africa or the Middle East to Southwestern England during their visitations for tin. Some animals breeders speculate that this might account for the Devon's remarkable adaptation to hot climates in spite of its centuries of exposure to the damp, chilly hills of England's Atlantic coast.
The early improvers of the Devon breed were Francis Quartly and his brothers William and Henry, and John Tanner Davy and his brother William. It is generally agreed that Francis Quartly accomplished for the Devon what the Collings did for the Shorthorn. Colonel John Tanner Davy founded the Devon herdbook in 1850. In 1884, the Devon Cattle Breeders' Society was organized and took over the herdbook.
Only 131 years after Columbus discovered North America, the first Devon cattle reached what is now the United States. The year was 1623. The ship Charity brought a consignment of red cattle (one bull and three heifers) from Devonshire to Edward Winslow, the agent for Plymouth Colony. These red cattle of Devonshire, brought in by the Pilgrims, were probably the first purebred cattle to reach North America.
During its long history in the United States, numerous breeders have been instrumental in bringing the Devon in America to a high degree of excellence. From the earlier dual-purpose type, beef conformation has been enhanced while retaining adequate milk production. Rate of maturity has been accelerated. The more common criticisms of light hindquarters and sickle hocks have been reduced to minimum. And, in keeping with newer concepts in America of "ideal" beef form, Devons have been made longer, taller, and trimmer but, fortunately, not to extremes as is true for some "exotic" breeds.
 Although the Devon was originally a horned breed, American stockmen developed a polled strain of purebred Devons. It traces back to the bull Missouri 9097, a hornless "sport" or mutation that was born in 1915 in the purebred Devon herd owned by Case and Elling in Concordia, Missouri.
Devon cattle are red in color, varying in shade from a rich deep red to a light red or chestnut color. A bright ruby red color is preferred and accounts for their nickname, the "Red Rubies." The hair is of medium thickness and is often long and curly during the winter; however, coats are short and sleek in summer.
Modern Devons have adequate size and scale but are not "horsey" big. Mature bulls in good working condition weigh from 1700 to about 2200 pounds with a few in top flesh condition exceeding the later figure. Mature cows range in weight from about 950 to about 1300 pounds. Thus, Devons have enough size to be practical and profitable without the handicap of excessive maintenance cost.
Calving problems are seldom encountered although a growing stress on using larger bulls has increased the incidence of difficult births. Male calves average about 75 pounds at birth but may range from about 55 to 95 pounds. Heifer calves average about 70 at birth but may range from about 45 to 90 pounds.
The functional characteristics of the Devon make them a valuable "genetic tool" for the commercial beef industry. The breed has long been noted for its fertility, calving ease, docility, hardiness and ability to adapt to temperature extremes. The well-developed heat-regulating mechanism of the scrotum of Devon bulls give them an unusual ability to remain fertile despite extremely high environmental temperatures.
Devons are active good "walkers" and are excellent rustlers and grazers. In England, they are known as "the Beef Breed Supreme at Grass." Their ability to efficiently utilize grass and other forages has heightened their popularity in areas like southern Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.
Devon Breed Associations and Registries
The photographs and information contained on this page are provided courtesy of Dr. Stewart H. Fowler, Beef Cattle Consultant, Milton, Florida 32570-4178.
Source:OSU, Breeds of Livestock
What is a Devon cow, heifer, bull, or even steer worth? Who do you call to find out?
Well in modern times, we look to the internet for information, so if you were to, “Google” Devon cattle on the internet you would soon find that you can purchase Devon from various breeders around the country, nothing new there. Upon closer inspection you would soon realize that you can also buy them from New Zealand, or Australia, and then you would learn that there are two breed registries in the US.
Now you would be really confused, right?
Which should you buy? Which is best? Which is the one everybody is talking about?
The ADCA board of directors feels that buyers should be aware of the differences between a South Devon, a Red Devon, a Beef Devon, a Dairy Devon, a pure Devon, a percentage Devon, a recovery registry Devon, etc… etc…
And while the value of each grows by the day as this amazing breed (Devon) surpasses the expectations of cattle breeders, finishers, butchers and carnivores alike, they are different animals and have different values.
You, the readers, should be in charge of assigning the value to the cattle, this article is intended to inform you of what the cattle are on a genetic level. So, for a moment, let’s divert to a genetics lesson.
A Devon may be called just that, or a Red Devon, a Beef Devon, a Ruby Red, or a North Devon, they are all the same.
A Dairy Devon is just as pure as a beef Devon because they come from the same genetic pool. In 1952, the ADCA, then known as the American Devon Cattle Club, decided that the breed had to move into a specialist beef market in order to survive. At that time, a small group of breeders decided to form a separate association for dairy cattle and maintain triple-purpose stock.
The AMDA represents a gene pool of Devon Cattle selected for purity and milking ability. The Devon has always excelled in the areas of; quality beef from pasture, milking ability, and value as a draft animal, hence the term, triple purpose.
The 1868 American Devon Herd Book, Vol. 2, was published in Springfield, Massachusetts. This herd book contains a perfect description of Devon Cattle.
“The late experience of the breeders of Devons only confirms their former opinion of the excellent qualities of the breed, for the three grand objects for which neat stock are kept, namely, milk, work, or beef, and their adaptation to many sections of our country, in preference to any other breed; also that they will produce as much milk, work, or beef, from the food consumed, or on a given quantity of land, as any other breed…The only objection ever presented to the breed, is “they are small;” but we can keep more of them, and that on shorter pastures and coarser food.”
This description is accurate and shows why these cattle do so well in grass based environments as well as dairy operations.
The South Devon brought to this country in 1969 originated from the counties of Devon and Cornwall in Southwest England where they have been a distinct and separate breed since the 16th Century. They are the largest of the British breeds and are more brown than red. They have quite a different look and different attributes.
A pure Devon is simply one whose genes are pure to the species.
All cattle were originally identified by Carolus Linnaeus as three separate species. These were Bos taurus, the European cattle, including similar types from Africa and Asia; Bos indicus, the zebu; and the extinct Bos primigenius containing the axtant species including longifrons. The axtant species or aurochs is ancestral to both zebu and European cattle. More recently these three have increasingly been grouped as one species, with Bos primigenius taurus, Bos primigenius indicus and Bos primigenius primigenius as the subspecies. Bos is the genus of both wild and domestic cattle.
Complicating the matter is the ability of cattle to interbreed with other closely related species. Hybrid individuals and even breeds exist, not only between European cattle and zebu but also with yaks, banteng, gaur, and bison, a cross-genera hybrid. Cattle cannot successfully be bred with water buffalo or African buffalo.
Devon cattle are one of the oldest beef breeds in existence today. In fact some authorities consider the Devon’s origin to be prehistoric, the assumption being that the breed descended directly from Bos lonqifrons, the smaller type of aboriginal cattle in Britain. In fact, according to reference material compiled by the Devon Cattle Breeders Society, Somerset, England; Devon Cattle— The Red Rubies, it appears that the Red Cattle of North Devon may have contributed to the Hereford and other British breeds.
The Devon was previously classified as a dual-purpose breed. Over the past half century, however, the breed has— through selection— evolved as a beef-type breed which is registered and promoted by the American Devon Cattle Association, Inc.
The native home of the Devon is in southwestern England, primarily in the counties of Devon, Somerset, Cornwall, and Dorset. For centuries, herds of red cattle grazed the grass covered hills of this cool, moist region. History records that the Romans took notice of the red cattle when they occupied this area in 55 B.C.
There is some evidence that the seagoing Phoenicians may have brought some ancestral red stock from northern Africa or the Middle East to Southwestern England during their visitations for tin. Some livestock breeders speculate that this might account for the Devon’s remarkable adaptation to hot climates in spite of its centuries of exposure to the damp, chilly hills of England’s Atlantic coast.
The early improvers of the Devon breed were Francis Quartly and his brothers William and Henry, and John Tanner Davy and his brother William. It is generally agreed that Francis Quartly accomplished for the Devon what the Collings did for the Shorthorn. Colonel John Tanner Davy founded the Devon herdbook in 1850. In 1884, the Devon Cattle Breeders’ Society was organized and took over the herdbook maintained today by the American Devon Cattle Association.
Only 131 years after Columbus discovered North America, the first Devon cattle reached what is now the United States. The year was 1623. The ship Charity brought a consignment of red cattle (one bull and three heifers) from Devonshire to Edward Winslow, the agent for Plymouth Colony. These red cattle of Devonshire, brought in by the Pilgrims, were probably the first purebred cattle to reach North America. These Devons are the ancestors of the modern Devon housed primarily in the U.S., Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and of course England. All of these countries maintain their own herd book but only true Devons can trace their lineage back to England and John Tanner Davy’s Devon Herd Book.
An American Devon Herd Book was begun in 1855 by Horance M. Sessions of Massachusetts. His first volume included a reprint of Volumes 1 and 2 of the English herd book. Sessions published five volumes with the last appearing in 1879.
James Buckingham, a Devon breeder from Zanesville, Ohio, began publication of the American Devon Record in 1881. The first four volumes were published under his direction, bringing Devon registry records up to May 1st, 1887.
Mr. Buckingham, with the aid of several other prominent Devon breeders, was instrumental in organizing the American Devon Cattle Club on March 26th, 1884, at a meeting in Pittsburgh’s East End Hotel.
The American Devon Record became the official herd book of the Club, which published six volumes under its watch. Like most other livestock registry associations in the United States, the American Devon Cattle Club found the cost prohibitive to produce a limited edition herd book. Volume 10, the final volume of the American Devon Record, was published in 1947. Duplicate registration certificates were maintained in the breed’s registry office for verifying the ancestry of registered animals and the protection of the genetic integrity of the Devon breed in the United States.
After the death of L.P. Sissons, Secretary of the American Devon Cattle Club, in 1916, the Club was reorganized and incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as the American Devon Cattle Club, Inc. The corporation operated under that name for 53 years until it was changed to the Devon Cattle Association, Inc., at an annual meeting of the membership in Springfield, Massachusetts, on January 22nd, 1971.
On October 11th, 1978, a Devon Cattle Association, Inc. was formed as a Missouri nonprofit corporation. A merger of the old Massachusetts corporation into the new Missouri Corporation was approved by the respective members on November 19th, 1978. The merger became effective January, 1st The registration, promotion, and improvement of Devon cattle, 1979. On January 1st of 2006 the Devon Cattle Association became the American Devon Cattle Association.
A pure Devon is an animal with only other Devon cattle in its pedigree and beyond. The American Devon Cattle Association only maintains pure Devon Cattle in its herd book. In the 70’s the Devon Cattle Association began a breed up program called the F-1 registry wherein animals could be bred up to full blood status.
Other countries have had their own programs like this and several still do, the difference is that the Devon in America fell out of favor with the American Cattleman and the F- 1 registry fell to 0 animals in the year 1988 and stayed that way until it was abolished due to accusations by some marketers who accused ADCA members of having less pure animals than overseas Devon and statements that New Zealand Devon are more pure than American Blood Lines. This couldn’t be more untrue. Some herds have been line bred to concentrate genetics, this process has its own risks and rewards which will not be addressed here. The point is, a daughter bred to her father produces a calf which is no more pure than if the same female is bred to any pure bred bull of the same breed.
The Devons contained in the American Devon Cattle Associations herdbook are all 100% pure. The ADCA is not claiming to be more pure than anyone else; we are merely stating that our Devons are as pure as the Devons in New Zealand and Devonshire, England for that matter.
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