Pedigree Dairy Breeds : Dairy Shorthorn

History

The Shorthorn breed of cattle has evolved over the last two centuries, from Teeswater and Durham cattle found originally in the North East of England in the Tees river valley and Durham. In the late 18th Century two brothers, Charles and Robert Colling started to improve these Durham cattle using line breeding techniques established so successfully by Robert Bakewell on Longhorn cattle. In 1783 Charles Colling found four particular cows recorded as Duchess, Cherry, Strawberry, and Old Favourite among others, and at the same time his brother Robert had noticed the superiority of calves in the local market bred from a bull known as Hubback, which he subsequently bought for £8. 

It was a combination of these bloodlines, which led to the birth of the bull Comet bred by Charles Colling in 1804, and later sold at the Ketton sale in 1810 for 1,000gns. This was the first 1,000 guinea bull ever recorded, but the wisdom of this bid was later to be justified by his progeny and he has since become a legend in cattle breeding. 

The breed was used in the early part of the 20^th Century, primarily as a dual purpose breed, but specialisation for beef and milk led to the beef breeders starting their own section of the herd book in 1958. 

The dairy breeders sought to improve the dairy aspect of their animals, and a blending scheme to introduce outside blood from other breeds was introduced in 1970. Some breeders did not wish to participate in this scheme, and so there is now quite a diversity of type within the Shorthorn breed. This diversity of type means that the Shorthorn can be used in a variety of different systems. In Ireland, the majority of Shorthorns are used for their suckler/beef capabilities, whereas in the UK the milking qualities of the breed have been developed. 

The importance of the Shorthorn breed in the development of other cattle breeds is enormous, and Shorthorn genetics have been used worldwide in the development of over 40 different breeds. The breed has a very long and distinguished history, and developments on both the beef and dairy sides have ensured that the breed also has a very bright future.

The Dairy Shorthorn is also called the Milking Shorthorn in the USA and Canada.

Photo courtesy of Oceanbrae Farms

Characteristics

Dairy Shorthorns are either red, red and white, white or roan, the last named colour being a very close mixture of red and white, and found in no other breed of cattle. They can be horned or polled and are very docile in nature. 

They are moderately framed at approximately 142cm and 635-990kg and have comparatively small calves that are vigorous at birth and easy to raise. These hardy cows recover quickly and are in condition to rebreed earlier. 

Shorthorn milk has the most favorable protein-fat ratio of the dairy breeds which is an added plus when marketing your milk for cheese. Shorthorns can be successfully crossed with any other dairy breed to quickly incorporate the Dairy Shorthorn-related grazing traits. Although no bulls can be completely trusted, Dairy Shorthorns tend to be quieter than other dairy bulls and fit well where a bull is used to get cows settled. 

Shorthorns are also known for their structural soundness and longevity. Most cows are productive for five or more lactations, and several cows have produced in excess of 10,000 kgs per lactation at greater than ten years of age. Dairy Shorthorns have very few problems with feet and legs, allowing the producer to cut out the expenses of lost milk production, veterinary bills, and replacement animals due to feet and leg difficulties. Both cows and heifers are easy calvers and excellent mothers, substantially decreasing calf mortality or unthriftiness. 

Dairy Shorthorns have been widely used as "foundation" females in the establishment of the European breeds introduced to Australia in more recent times (eg. Charolais, South Devon, Limousin, Maine-Anjou).

Statistics

• More efficient converter of feed to milk, especially pasture and other forages, lowering feed cost.
• Cows producing in excess of 9000 kgs of milk per 305 days on low input management.
• Superior feet and leg structure, with excellent hoof durability.
• Greater reproductive efficiency, with fewer days open, higher non-return rate of cows and heifers, and smaller calving intervals, meaning less wasted time and expense to the breeder.
• Ease of calving and excellent mothering ability - most cows require no calving assistance.
• Greater salvage value for bull calves and cull cows than other dairy breeds.
• Improved longevity, with the majority of cows lasting more than 5 lactations.
• According the Canadian Dairy Network (2001), the breed with the greatest percentage of cows recorded as very quiet or quiet temperament.
• According to recent CDN studies, the breed with the lowest average somatic cell score.

Comparative

In an extensive study done over a 13 year period on an Idaho dairy owned by a veterinarian, it was found that under the same management conditions, Dairy Shorthorns were significantly less prone to disease, particularly in the areas of lameness, mastitis, dystocia and milk fever, than their Holstein herdmates. (Paper presented at the 1995 World Shorthorn Conference by Dr. Martin R. Lee, Jerome, Idaho.) 

Lee (1995) notes that Milking Shorthorns have almost one half the incidence of cystic ovaries as Holsteins.

Milking Shorthorn milk can be worth more. On a recent USDA Sire Summary, Milking Shorthorns were listed with the lowest base Somatic Cell score of all dairy breeds, indicating the possibility of an increased resistance to mastitis which is consistent with the Idaho study.

Minnesota DHI data shows Milking Shorthorns as having the lowest feed cost per hundredweight of milk, and the lowest total dry matter intake per hundredweight of body weight. 

The 1995 Minnesota DHIA data showed Milking Shorthorn cows with the shortest calving interval of any breed - 12.8 months. Fertility

Distribution

The Dairy Shorthorn is increasing in popularity and are found in the UK, the USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand. 

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Pedigree Dairy Breeds : Busa

History

The breed of cattle called Busa or sometimes Busha, Bosnian or Illyrian are a small native breed which belong to a group of primitive short horned cattle (Bos brachyceros europaeus) with multiple strains of the breed being found across the Balkans. Some sources state that the Busa has existed around the Balkan Peninsula since Neolithic times.

Photo courtesy of Zoran Petrov, Busa breeder, Serbia

In the 19^th Century, Busa from Croatia and Bosnia (then under the Austria-Hungarian Empire) were crossed with an Austrian breed. This cross is larger than the original Busa and it is exclusively grey in colour.

During the civil war (in Bosnia) in the 1990's, the Yugoslav army brought Busa in from Serbia, these cattle were all used as a meat supply. So although the Busa is sometimes referred to as Bosnian the use of this name is incorrect as the majority of the Busa population is in the Southern Balkans and found in the mountainous regions of Serbia.

Today in Kosovo, cattle are the main source of milk and meat with small scale farmers making up 95% of the industry. Research shows that the Busa in Kosovo is nearly the only breed which provides genetic bases for the majority of crosses in the country.

Today a pure Busa is very rare and generally are found in mountainous, hilly areas of Serbia. There is a herdbook for the Busa, which is helping the determination of the different strains and increasing numbers of the breed.

Characteristics

Busa colour varies according to the regional strain. For example the strain from the Metohija region of Yugosalvia are red, while the Macedonian strain is blue-grey. In Serbia there are three strains - black (considered the oldest), red and grey. 

They have a compact conformation, the average cow stands 104cm at the withers and weighs between 230 and 270kgs. The average bull measures 115cm at the withers and weighs between 340 and 430kgs. 

The breed are very resistant to disease, internal and external parasites, plus survive well with a minimum ammount of management, low feed and natural grazing.

It is also said that this breed is very clean as they defacate in one place only compared to other cattle which go anywhere.

The milk production is very efficient compared to their small size, each lactation averages 1400kgs over a 240-280 day period. The calves are born at about 15 to 22kgs and put 500gms on per day.

Statistics

Disease and parasite resistance

Minimal management required

Thrives on natural grazing

Efficient milk producer relative to body size

Distribution

Busa can be found throughout southern Yugoslavia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Serbia. Breeding programs and associations are being set up to determine breed strains and standards as well as to keep Busa numbers constant. 

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Pedigree Dairy Breeds : Brown Swiss

History

Most dairy historians agree that Brown Swiss or Braunvieh cattle are the oldest of all dairy breeds. The beautiful brown cows were developed in the north-eastern part of Switzerland. Bones found in the ruins of Swiss lake dwellers date back to probably 4000 BC, and have some resemblance to the skeleton of today's Brown Swiss cow. Documentary evidence shows that the Benedictine monks residing at the Einsiedeln Monastery started breeding these cattle as early as approximately 1000 years ago.

The canton of Schwyz was the scene of most of the early improvement of the Brown Swiss, and in Switzerland the breed is often referred to as Schwyer or Brown Schwyzer. 

All the cantons in which the breeds originated are inhabited by German speaking people, and apparently large cattle were brought in from Germany to improve the cattle of Switzerland, which until about 1860 were often lacking in size. And for that fact the Swiss Brown is also known as Braunvieh. 

Many people refer to Braunvieh as Brown Swiss and want to know the difference between the two. Brown Swiss dairy cattle were in fact developed from the Braunvieh beef cattle. Braunvieh was an extremely good milking beef breed and, many years ago, some animal breeders selected the best milking Braunvieh and began breeding these selected individuals for milk production. After many generations the dairy type was developed, and thus the Brown Swiss dairy cattle. 

Switzerland, the native home of the Brown Swiss is a very rough and mountainous country with a total area of about 15,940 square miles. However, approximately 25 percent of the area is covered with rocks, lakes, rivers, snow-capped mountains, and glaciers, and there are only about eight million acres of productive land of which one half is used for hay and pasture. Switzerland has been noted as a cheese producing country for many years, and in the summer many of the dairy herds are taken into the mountainous regions and are grazed on the abundant pastures and meadows that result from the heavy rainfall.

Photo courtesy of Bo Joy Farm,www.holsteinworld.com/Bo-Joy/home.htm

A background of extreme terrain and weather has produced a cattle breed world renowed for many definitive characteristics. Today the Brown Swiss is the second largest dairy breed in the world with a reported over 8 million registered cattle and the world population estimated at over 14 million head.

Characteristics

The Brown Swiss or Braunvieh is light brown in colour with a creamy white muzzle and dark noze, dark-blue eye pigmentation which helps the breed to resist extreme solar radiation. Brown Swiss cattle have been bred horned and polled, when horned the horns are short and white growing dark towards the top. Brown Swiss are robust, a prolific breeder, long-lived, strong, adaptable, and very well-balanced in build with good hooves and limbs.

This breed has a double utility as they are used for dairy and beef purposes providing good milk and meat output. 

Milk producers throughout the world are adding Brown Swiss to their herds daily, because of the good milk, protein, and butter fat production. Their correct feet and legs allow them to stay in the milking herd for more lactations than many other breeds.

The milk of the Brown Swiss cow is coveted by cheese makers. The volume of milk plus the protein produced by Brown Swiss makes the best milk for the fluid and cheese markets. Brown Swiss breeders benefit from the best fat-to-protein ratio of any of the dairy breeds for production of most cheeses.

Statistics

Photo courtesy of Bo Joy Farm,www.holsteinworld.com/Bo-Joy/home.htm

• Close protein/fat ratio - Brown Swiss milk possesses the closest protein/fat ratio of any dairy breed.
• Feet and legs - Properly structured legs allies to strong, hard, black, well formed feet, that mean Brown Swiss cattle have few problems. No doubt this is one of the key qualities that enable many Brown Swiss to continue producing in the herd until they are 12-15 years of age.
• Quiet Temperament - Dairymen, members of the association, all of whom have worked with a variety of breeds are completely unanimous in their praise of the docile temperament and inquisitive nature of these quiet cattle.
• Longevity - The characteristic longevity of the breed is very evident in the Brown Swiss. While the breed tends to be later maturing than other breeds, cows tend to reach their peak in 5th or later lactations. Some breeds find it difficult to reach this stage, while the strength of the Brown Swiss allows them to lead long productive lives.
• Strength & Hybrid Vigour - Brown Swiss cows are cattle of great substance and strength. The experience of having cows ‘go down’ with metabolic problems or any other reason is rare amongst Brown Swiss owners.
• Brown Swiss are renowned for their role when crossed with other dairy breeds or for that fact with beef breeds as well, in generally improving the production and strength of the parent breed. This is evident throughout the world from the tropics to the alpine regions.
• Braunvieh bulls are noted for their scrotal and testicular development at a young age and are capable, fertile breeders at 12 to 14 months of age.

Comparative

Growth

Source: US Meat Animal Research Center

Braunvieh-cross females produced 5% more weaning weight than the traditional Hereford-Angus cross females and from 4% to 11% more weaning weight than any other Continental cross females. Economically, any commercial cow-calf operator that can increase the pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed by 4 to 11% has a tremendous economic opportunity to increase the herd's profit potential. By combining this calf weight-per-cow-exposed advantage with the 7% increase in conception rate from the use of Braunvieh bulls, the economic advantage for using Braunvieh genetics becomes significant. The following chart shows Braunvieh's advantage for calf 200-day weight per cow exposed.

Source: US Meat Animal Research Center

Milkiness

Further data from the US Meat Animal Research Center shows why Braunvieh and Braunvieh-cross females make such good mothers. The date reveals that they rebreed and calve on a regular basis and milk sufficiently to produce heavy calves at weaning.

Calving

Increased Calf Survival: 10 to 15% 

Increased growth of crossbred calves: 4 to 11% 

Increased weaning weight due to more milk: 4 to 11% 

Fertility

Increased Fertility: 10 to 15% 

Bull

Source: US Meat Animal Research Center

A documented example of Braunvieh fertility comes from Texas A&M Research Center, Uvalde, Texas, where, as part of a research project, the center turned out five Braunvieh bulls and five bulls of another heat-tolerant breed with 266 crossbred cows. When the calves were DNA verified to their sire breed, the Research center found that 68% of the calves were Braunvieh-sired. 

Dam

Source: US Meat Animal Research Center

Braunvieh and Braunvieh cross females are sexually mature at a young age. At the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (MARC), Clay Center, Nebraska, it was shown that the average age of puberty for Braunvieh cross heifers was 332 days and the percent of Braunvieh cross heifers pregnant at 550 days was 93%. These figures are graphed to illustrate a comparison for the Braunvieh cross females versus the other breed crosses in this MARC study. 

Meat 

Source: US Meat Animal Research Center

The superiority of Braunvieh genetics for producing more pounds of marketable weight was first verified at the US Meat Animal Research Center where Braunvieh-cross females produced 4% more calf weight per cow exposed than their nearest competing breed cross.

Braunvieh cows will typically weigh 1,100 to 1,500 pounds and mature bulls 1,800 to 2,500 pounds. While moderate in size and frame, Braunvieh females and bulls will pass on their muscle, superior quality grade, growth rate and efficient feed conversion to their progeny. The cost of gain for Braunvieh and Braunvieh-cross cattle is comparable to, or less than, all other breeds and, because they are of moderate size and have the inherent ability to grade choice, Braunvieh and Braunvieh-cross cattle can be harvested from a feedlot situation at a live weight that eliminates days on feed other Continental breeds take to reach marketable condition.

Distribution

As the Brown Swiss or Braunvieh is very popular within the dairy and beef industry, it can be found in over 60 countries from the Tropics to the Arctic Circle including Europe, the USA, South America, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

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Pedigree Dairy Breeds : Ayrshire

History

Photo courtesy of Topline Ayrshires,www.toplineayrshires.com

The Ayrshire breed originated in the County of Ayr in Scotland, prior to 1800 and was regarded as an established breed by 1812. During its development, it was referred to first as the Dunlop, then the Cunningham, and finally, the Ayrshire. How the different strains of cattle were crossed to form the breed known as Ayrshire is not exactly known. There is good evidence that several breeds were crossed with native cattle to create the foundation animals of the breed. In Agriculture, Ancient and Modern, published in 1866, Samual Copland describes the native cattle of the region as "diminutive in size, ill-fed, and bad milkers." Prior to 1800 many of the cattle of Ayrshire were black, although by 1775 browns and mottled colours started to appear.

The improvement of the native stock is thought to of begun around 1750 when it was crossed with other breeds such as the Teeswater cattle and Channel Islands cattle.

Regardless of the details of origin, the early breeders carefully crossed and selected the various strains of cattle to develop the cow we now know as the Ayrshire. She was well suited for the land and climate in Ayr. The Ayrshire is an efficient grazer; noted for her vigour and efficiency of milk production. Ayrshire's are especially noted for the superior shape and quality of the udder. The composition of the milk made it ideally suited for the production of butter and cheese by the early Scottish dairymen.

Many changes have taken place during the late 1980's and early 1990's which have affected the numbers of Ayrshires (and all other breeds) leading to a decrease. Much of this is due to increased profitability of all dairy cows, which has led to an over-supply of milk to the domestic market. However, careful management has convinced Ayrshire breeders that their chosen breed has served them well, and will continue to do so in the future.

Characteristics

Ayrshires are red and white in colour. The red colour is a reddish-brown mahogany that varies in shade from very light to very dark. On some bulls, the mahogany colour is so dark that it appears almost black in contrast to the white. The colour markings vary from nearly all red to nearly all white. The spots are usually very jagged at the edges and often small and scattered over the entire body of the cow. Usually, the spots are distinct, with a break between the red and the white hair. Some Ayrshires exhibit a speckled pattern of red pigmentation on the skin covered by white hair. Brindle and roan colour patterns were once more common in Ayrshires, but these patterns are rare today.

For many years, the Ayrshire horns were a hallmark of the breed. These horns often reached a foot or more in length, they gracefully curved out and then up and slightly back. When polished for the show ring, the Ayrshire horns were a spectacular sight. Horns are not very practical, and today almost all Ayrshires are dehorned as calves.

Ayrshires are medium-sized cattle and weigh approximately over 1200 pounds at maturity. They are strong, rugged cattle that adapt to all management systems including group handling on dairy farms with free stalls and milking parlors. Ayrshires excel in udder conformation and are not subject to excessive foot and leg problems.

Few other breeds can match the ability of the Ayrshire to rustle and forage for themselves under adverse feeding or climatic conditions. The ruggedness of the terrain and the unfavourable climatic conditions of their native land led to the selection for those points of hardiness that adapt them to less than ideal conditions. These traits make Ayrshires outstanding commercial dairy cattle.

Other traits that make Ayrshires attractive to the commercial dairyman include the vigor of Ayrshire calves. They are strong and easy to raise. Ayrshires do no possess the yellow tallow characteristic that would reduce carcass value, so Ayrshire bull calves can be profitably raised as steers.

The Ayrshire is a moderate butterfat breed. Top producing Ayrshires regularly exceed 20,000 pounds of milk in their lactations. The current world record for Ayrshire is held by Lette Farms Betty's Ida. In 305 days, on twice-a-day milking, she produced 37,170 pounds of milk and 1592 pounds of fat. The Ayrshire Breeders' Association does not officially recognize records in excess of 305 days, but one Ayrshire has produced over 41,000 pounds of milk and 1800 pounds of butterfat in 365 days.

Photo courtesy of Crawford Family Farm,www.crawfordfamilyfarm.com

Photo courtesy of Crawford Family Farm,www.crawfordfamilyfarm.com

Statistics

They are known for low somatic cell counts, ability to convert grass into milk efficiently, and hardiness. The breeds strong points are the now desired traits of easy calving and longevity, Ayrshires are also free of genetic disease.

Ayrshire milk is referred to as "the ideal drinking milk". Their milk is not excessively rich, not lacking adequate fat, and it possesses quantities of desirable non-fat solids such as protein.

In South Africa, a chain of large upscale stores selling only high quality products had their cliental taste different kinds of dairy milk (Ayrshire, Holstein, and Jersey). Over 70% preferred the taste of Ayrshire milk over all the other milk. As well, the high fat, protein and kappa casein in Ayrshire milk is a more desirable milk for conversion into yogurt, cheese and ice cream because the particles of fat are slightly smaller and better distributed throughout the milk. The actual average of all Ayrshires on Official DHIR test is over 12,000 pounds of milk with a 3.9% test.

Ayrshires respond to good management and feeding practices and individual Ayrshire herds average as high as 17,000 pounds of milk and 700 pounds of butterfat. These days it is not rare to see an Ayrshire cow producing over 10, 000 kg of milk per lactation or 80, 000 kg or more in a lifetime.

Distribution

Ayrshires remain popular in many countries such as Russia, North America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and parts of Europe and South America.

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