Farmer Andrew Matthews from Tenure in Co. Louth was shocked when one of his Dexter cattle gave birth to a rare bald calf, with only two small tuffs of hair where his horns should be.

Matthews told Agriland that it is three weeks since the bull calf was born, adding that he is "doing brilliantly".

The farmer said: "Other to no hair, the calf was completely normal at birth, proving to be an easy calving".

Matthews farms a herd of pedigree Dexters for breeding and beef. This in itself is relatively rare, with the organisation Brave Herders estimates there is only approximately 3,000 head of Dexters in Ireland.

According to Matthews, the calf was not born premature, and is only slightly smaller to the rest of the herd, with mature Dexters only standing at about 1m in height.

He added that the calf stood and drank from the mother promptly.

The farmer explained that the calf was kept inside for the first week under a heat lamp, but since weaning it off that, the calf is now "living its best life outside".

The farmer explained how he brought the mother and calf back into the shed each night for the calf's first two/three weeks, as well as keeping it in by day during the extreme heat two weeks ago.

The calf wears a jacket around the clock, and will realistically be in one for the rest of his life, according to Matthews.

He added that this is the mother's fourth calf, highlighting how her offspring has never had any abnormalities up until now.

The farmer said the calf was given vitamin injections and tested clear for BVD.

He told Agriland that he is applying cream to the calf's legs to prevent them from getting sore or cracking.

The calf still has no name, however Matthews joked about calling him 'Fluffy' or ''Streaker'.

On his farm, Matthews also has a dun Dexter, which - while not exceptionally rare - are typically uncommon in the breed.