I encourage you to leave a comment about your dairy breed. Tell us what you like or what you would change about that breed of animal. How are they different from other breeds? What is their best quality?!
JERSEY
- Probably the most common family cow these days.
- Come from the Island of Jersey off the coast of France, but associated with Great Britain.
- Longer average productive life than all other breeds.
- Very heat-tolerant and excellent grazers.
- Studies have shown the Jersey cow to be more efficient than the Holstein in converting feed to milk.
- The smallest breed of dairy cattle. Adult cows weigh 800-1200 lb.
- Small-statured animals. Average 48 inches tall.
- “Fawn” color, can be from almost white to chocolate brown. Occasionally they will have “pinto” type coloring of white and reddish brown. Purebred Jerseys are not solid white or solid black. They are strongly noted for the white and black shading around their nose/eyes/feet.
- The second most popular after Holstein (becoming popular as fossil fuel prices rise and haulers start charging farmers more per pound of milk).
- Also known as Alderney (old term).
- Highest butterfat and protein of all breeds.
- Known as the most intelligent and most curious of all breeds. Sometimes too curious.
- Steers not used much for meat except at the household level.
- A wide variety of bulls are available for breeding selection.
- http://usjersey.com/Reference/jerseycharacteristics.pdf
- http://naj.usjersey.com/TheJerseyCow.aspx
- www.jerseycanada.com
HOLSTEIN
- The largest of all dairy breeds. Average 58 inches high.
- Adult cows weigh 1100-1800 lb.
- They make up about 90 percent of commercial dairy animals.
- Cows give the most volume of milk (water) and the lowest components of all breeds.
- Easily recognized for their black and white pattern. Some may be solid white or black. Some are red and white (called Red Holsteins).
- Originated in Netherlands/Holland. Sometimes called Friesians or Holstein-Friesian in reference to their origin.
- Pretty easygoing temperament, generally less intelligent, more of “herd followers”.
- Many people keep Holstein bull calves as meat steers.
- Modern dairies are crossing Holsteins with other breeds to improve components and reduce the size of the cows for easier management.
- Huge selection of bulls available for a variety of genetics.
- http://www.holsteinusa.com/holstein_breed/breedhistory.html
- www.holstein.ca
- http://www.redandwhitecattle.com/
AYRSHIRE
- Second largest breed. Adult cows weigh 1000-1300 lb.
- Better at grazing than Holstein.
- Come from Scotland.
- Color is a base white coat with dark red speckling or spotting. Some are nearly all white, whereas others are almost all brown.
- Ayrshires rate between Jerseys and Holsteins in milk volume and components. Can be used on pasture-based dairies.
- Some Ayrshires are being crossed with Red Holstein, so if you want a family cow, be sure to look for the smaller statured cows that give less milk and have more classic features.
- More alert than Holsteins, Ayrshires are sometimes noted for contrary personalities.
- http://www.usayrshire.com/whyayrshire.html
GUERNSEY
- Come from the Island of Guernsey, next to Jersey. You might enjoy reading the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. No relation to the cow, but a fun book to read about the Island during German Occupation in WWII.
- The closest relative to the Jersey cow.
- Colored more like a red Holstein with more scattered spotting in general and tending toward lighter browns/reds.
- Taller in stature than the Jersey. Many Guernsey breeders have been using other genetics in the past years to modernize the breed, so some Guernsey’s will look more like a Red Holstein or an Ayrshire.
- Guernseys have an unusually long reproductive tract, which can make A.I. more difficult.
- The Guernsey cow was prized as a milk cow in the early to mid 1900’s for her easy personality and creamy yellow “Golden Guernsey” milk.
- Often have large teats, popular for hand-milking.
- As dairies became more commercial, the Guernsey did not have the stamina to compete like other breeds did, and their numbers, proportionally, have drastically declined in dairy herds.
- The Guernsey makes a good family cow and her history is that of being a good cow for a small herd.
- They are few in number, only a few farms across the U.S. are still 100% Guernsey. As they are hard to come by, the price of Guernsey’s can be quite high as people compete to buy what few are available.
- Very few bulls in A.I. for selection. Limits genetics.
- http://usguernsey.com/history/
- http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/guernsey/
BROWN SWISS
- Originated in Switzerland as grazing herds on the hillsides. The more beef-y variety is called Braunveih.
- Grayish-brown in color (Called “brown” swiss, but most are much more “gray” in color).
- A large breed. Adult cows weigh an average of 1200 lb. and have the most bone of the dairy breeds.
- A slow maturing breed, first-calving age of 3 years is not uncommon.
- Good personality in general, although they can be very stubborn. Calves are known for being hard to teach to nurse from a bottle and can be stubborn to teach to lead. (Not usually the easiest 4-H animal unless your child is determined!)
- Also rate between Jersey and Holstein in milk.
- http://browncow.ca/history-brownswiss.aspx
- http://www.brownswissusa.com/Breed/History/tabid/89/Default.aspx
MILKING SHORTHORN
- Shorthorns originated in England.
- The first “milking” variety of shorthorn was called a “Durham” and first came to America in Virginia.
- The classic milking Shorthorns are small and hearty, the most beef-like of the dairy breeds. Short statured (slightly larger than Jerseys), average milk production, good temperament.
- A nice breed to cross with to get improved milk production for beef or as a family cow.
- Along with Ayrshires, Milking Shorthorns are often being crossed with Red Holstein to improve dairy frame and udder conformation.
- A hearty breed that does well in less than ideal feeding and living conditions.
- Similar semen options to that of the lesser known breeds. Finding milking shorthorn dairies is difficult as there are not many.
- http://www.milkingshorthorn.com/whymilkingshorthorns.html
OTHER BREEDS
& SPECIES
http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/wtchlist.html#cattle
SIMMENTAL: Sold in America as a beef breed, Simmental originated in Switzerland as milk cows. Also known as Fleckvieh. They are excellent producers from a beef perspective, as they produce a large calf and tend to milk more than the average beef breed, so calves grow fast. Very large frame (one of the largest beef breeds). Good personality. Colored red and white or black. http://simmental.org/site/ or http://www.fleckvieh.com/
FRENCH-CANADIAN/CANADIENNE: A Canadian version of a Channel Island type cow. Brought from northern France to Canada and developed there to withstand the more rugged climate. http://www.vachecanadienne.com/the_canadienne_cow.aspx
DUTCH-BELTED: Oreo cookie cows, a fairly rare breed. Mother Noella, the “cheese nun” makes milk from a belted herd in Connecticut. A medium sized breed, average to low milk production, said to have a nervous temperament. Semen for A.I. can be found from the Taurus company. http://www.dutchbelted.com/About%20the%20Breed.html
KERRY: A rare breed from Ireland. Very small in stature, mostly black in coloring, and traditionally are raised with their horns left intact. Hearty grazers, they are not generally raised as milk producers. http://www.kerrycattlesociety.org/breed.html
DEXTER: A small breed of cattle from Ireland. Popular with hobby farmers because of their size (36-44″ and under 1000#). Color is black, red, or dun. Lower milk production (1-3 gal per day) and udder conformation much closer to that of a beef cow. Personality often referred to as wary/unfriendly. If you look to buy from within this breed, be sure to ask if they are tested for the bulldog gene. http://www.dextercattle.org/adca/adca_about_dexters.html
LINEBACK: Spotted black and white cattle with a white stripe across the top of their back. Can be from a variety of genetic lines, tend to be dual-purpose. http://americanlinebacks.tripod.com/
MINI-JERSEY: All Jerseys originate from the Island of Jersey. The Mini Jersey stock comes from animals bred by one man in the early 1900’s in America, bred based on stature attributes, breeding down generation after generation. Some are crossed with Dexter.
GOATS: are inexpensive to buy, raise, and milk. For those that like the taste of goats milk, goats are a very affordable option for a milk animal on your farm. If handled properly, the milk should not taste much different than cow’s milk. Goat milk is naturally homogenized, so you must buy a cream separator if you want cream byproducts of milk. The cream, therefore the butter, are white (not yellow like cows).
SHEEP: Not generally recognized as a family milker (tiny teats!) but they do have the potential to milk and some are used for cheesemaking. The milk is very creamy. The Fresian breed is well known in America as milk sheep.
COMPARISON CHARTS:
*In an attempt to give people an idea of each breed, I have included information on each breed, although I am more familiar with some over others.
**Information on ability to pasture and breed type is unavailable, but in general the less an animal is built genetically to produce milk, the more efficient (s)he should be at being raise on a pasture diet. Consider this when choosing bulls to breed your cow to.
it is DIFFICULT to tell between a guernsey, an ayrshire and a milking shorthorn. but this page helped!
LikeLike
Hi there.
Thanks for the article, really informative. I would like to know how does Ayrshire perform if exposed to a tropical climate (average temperature 27 degrees Celsius). When you say, it is a cow with an alert personality, do you mean it is really hard to work with?
LikeLike
Ayrshire are originally from Scotland. They are suited to survive well in cold/wet climates. You might be able to get one to adapt to a tropical climate, but I don’t know that they would be the best suited. If you have options, you might try a Bos Indicus breed such as milking gyr or zebu. They are designed for hot climates.
LikeLike
My family raises Ayrshire in Quebec and they are outside all summer and do fine. There are a number of Ayrshire in south Africa as well. Like any animal they all have individual personalities and some are friendlier than others. Handling is key
LikeLike
well, i really have learned a lot from this site. with all the breeds being mentioned here, most of of the main six breeds (Friesian, Brown swiss, Ayrshire, Guernsey and Jersey) are great milk producers, although i don’t have any of those. I have just started to raise some cattle for milk production and so far i have one cross of ayrshire and one for brown swiss. the ayrshire gives good milk so far and i would like to move on and get a pure breed of either ayrshire, brown or jersey. Congratulations to the Spirited Rose team for their effort on giving highlight and their experience. I am in Africa, Tanzania to be exact.
LikeLike
Good evening to you over there, am Anthony from uganda really i like farming because its in born but for sure i want to improve on our cattle breed but i dont have money now which advise can you give me.
LikeLike
i lke freizian very much because it produces light yellow color milk
LikeLike
?
LikeLike
Thank you for this comparison of breeds! I’m a horseman that has been interested in very small scale organic farming for a long time. I never considered having a dairy venture as part of the veggie farm, but after getting feeder pigs it seems like a great way to build a customer base. The Dutch Belted, Shorthorn, Guernsey, and Brown Swiss all interest me, though I know jerseys are stellar producers of high butterfat, and are small, which I like.
LikeLike
sir,, sir how much water intake per day holstien friesian aove 75% cow in summer season
LikeLike
I just found your website and love it. Thank you! I just really love jersey cows and all cow breeds and want them on my farm. I’ve been thinking about how the energy of the cow will be good for the land and for the people involved. Also I’d like to have happy heat resistant grazing cows that produce A2 raw milk in Thailand. Here are my questions: Where can I find A2/A2 heat resistant jersey cows that can adapt to living in Pakchong Thailand?
LikeLike
You’d be best to look for locally adapted animals and test them for A2, if that’s important to you. You’d likely have better success that way.
LikeLike
sir
compare Holsttein friesian , jersey cow and holstein friesian cross above75 percent in summer OR Hot season
compare feed intkake in summer
compare water intake in hot season
compare respiratory rate in hot season
compare pulse rate
compare sitting and standing frequncy .
Thanks
LikeLike
Jerseys tend to do best in hot weather. They are smaller cows, so are able to lay down and stand up easier than a large framed Holstein.
Crosses can be very strong and are sometimes better than either parent breed, but Hol/Jer crosses are often are solid black which may not be desirable in very hot climates.
LikeLike
Holstein’s are the best. Lots of milk, calm disposition, can be trained easily, look great and are relatively healthy.
LikeLike
Norwegian red! very high milkproduction, good natured and hardy cows. without doubt the best milkproducing cow there is. the meat is ok.
LikeLike
thank you for the page i have few my local breeds in pakistan planning to cross breed with jersey got 2 holstiens doing fine
LikeLike
I have a question. I want a cow who’s milk is white. Because there is no demand of yellow milk in my country
LikeLike
Most dairy breeds besides Jersey and Guernsey will have white milk, particularly if you feed hay and not pasture. Not that I advise not feeding pasture…
Goat milk is also white.
LikeLike
holstein lot’s of very white milk
LikeLike
I want to perchase holstein cow but someone says that it is so much sensetive and not safe so what i do
Other options is jursey … which one i select for dairy form.
Pls give sugesion.
LikeLike
Jerseys are generally easier for people to have as a family cow, they do not need as much feed as a Holstein and they give less milk. Both are very good in dairy form/character.
LikeLike
Hi, what about illawarra dairy breed ?
LikeLike
If you know something about the breed, feel free to post. 🙂
Just from a quick online search, looks to me like they are an Australian dairy cattle similar to Milking Shorthorn?
LikeLike
Thank you very much for your info. we would like to buy jersey and Holstein Frisian any one can help me in this regards, once again thanks,
LikeLike
I suggest looking on Craigslist in your area – most dairy animals for sale are listed there! 🙂
LikeLike
Hi , love your site! We have a small hobby farm in BC, Canada. We ended up moving to a farm because of our old cow “NAN”. Long story! At any rate we love our Jersey (or Jersey girls as we call them). We allow them to keep their calves and give them an extra one as we don’t need all that milk and the extra calves give us $$ to buy winter feed. They are so friendly, and get along with all our other animals. when we introduced our new guardian livestock dog to them as a pup, they all had to come up and lick him. We also have one Brown Swiss but she tends to be abit aloof although she is slowly getting better, we are hoping for a calf from her next spring but she is a year and 4 months and still no sign of heat! We also have Nubian goats who are the Jerseys of the goat world and have the same personalities as the Jersey! If we could change one thing about the Jersey, its their predisposition to milk fever! We had a really bad experience lasting 2 weeks with our old girl, now she is retired and enjoying grazing with the others.
LikeLike
Yes, I hear that about Jerseys, tendency toward milk fever. Perhaps they just take different management, or perhaps it’s dependent on genetic lines. We’ve been lucky and have not had one case of milk fever in the past few years. 🙂
LikeLike
I have Dexters, dual purpose horned breed, beef & milk, (some people even train them as oxen).They are a rare breed and the smallest of all domesticated cattle and are very friendly! I can’t go outside with out them greeting me at the gate. Milk is thick & creamy,I made butter last week.
LikeLike
I had Dexters for 10 years,Got into them for milk/beef. My Abigail was the most awesome cow. I decided to quit raising them as breeding was costly, I had to take them to a bull, then get them in 2 months.. The older Dexters with the more Kerry are my favorite. I am not a fan of the “new” short stocky bodied Dexters.
LikeLike
I have both Jerseys and Brown Swiss. And on our farm, the Brown Swiss are the favorites. Sweet giants. They are the first cows to come over and greet visitors and never cranky. The only down side is they are also the first ones that try to snatch another cow’s calf…I guess that’s nurturing to an extreme. 🙂
LikeLike
My main worry in England is the drastic decline and the sheer awful predijudice to cattle in the Uk two so called experts on UK
wrote about, even tempered even bad tempered Guernsey.One dreadful milker and herdsman had said the cows were vicious kickers. When I visited a farm a bully of a person on Herm Island; I misitakenly mistook pure bred Guernsey males for females because they are very feminine looking in both sexes. Not knowing I love cows the woman got cross just thinking about milking house cows for the island which very sadly had to get rid of its dairy herd because of the cost of exporting its pure Guernsey milk which could and should be made into all kinds of premium quality Guernsey milk products and all types of dairy cow products and most worst all a person was caught and was blacklisted. Anyone who imports cheap milk into Guernsey and on the island must and should only buy certified Guernsey products because gp doctors know that the milk has more good things to subdue symptomsd and help and maybe prevent autism. By the way I have Aspergers Syndrome. Get rid of people going only for quick profit d of to supply poundshops and supermarkets and also cross Guernseys with Ayshires and Jerseys Montbliardes Red Swiss Red Dane milking or Dairy Shorthorn on UK farms and Brown Swiss or American Brown Swiss.Finally a word about an obscure breed of cow most famous for being associated with the smallpox vaccine, Gloucester and Glamorgan cows are very unique and rare therefore they are often on telly but tragically mainly for thier expensive beef but despite small yields of milk to modest or a reasonable amount they must be providing milk forj authentic genuine gourmet Single Gloucester and Double Gloucester cheese as well as a cheese called Stinking BishopKeep dualpurposeor triple the dairy product dual purpose in all of these and stop beefing up our heritage and Channel Island breeds one farmer has rescued high quality butterfat milkiing qualities of South Devons who are normally just reared now for beef – what a hero and he sellsice cream from his crossbred and pure and mixed breeds herdvery sucessfully and has awards for it as well.
LikeLike
Hey That’s Me,
Doesn’t the quality of the milk produced matter. Quantity is not quality. Just a question. Is all milk the same?
Thanks,
Mike
LikeLike
Quality control matters as much as the milk itself. Without clean handling, any milk would be ruined.
LikeLike
Holsteins are the best! I don’t care what anyone says, I have grown up on a farm with my family my whole life and Holsteins provide the most milk of any breed. And I don’t see the proof that says they are any less intelligent than any of the other breeds. They seem pretty smart to me, and they produce the most milk, so I love them! Don’t talk bad about my holsteins!
LikeLike
I just enjoy it because Holstine are my favorite breeds because we own them and they provide much milk as compared to other breeds so they are rated high in my capacity, As farmer I just love it all because i learn a lot from this site as i view it.
LikeLike
Totally agree with you!
LikeLike
It looks like I might be the only person to say so, but I really like Brown Swiss. I’ve worked with every breed save the Milking Shorthorn, and all the Brown Swiss cows I’ve worked with really seem to be the most interesting. Maybe I gravitated to the stubbornness of the ones we kept and keep, but I enjoy the clever glint I see in their eyes, and I’m almost certain that they understand a fair amount of vocabulary. :’)
(although I must say, Jersey calves are very cute, and grow to be beautiful cows that give very rich milk~ They’re a close second!)
LikeLike
My appreciation for the comparison article, and thanks Spirited Rose Farm.
In my mind Jersey cow is a special breed, it is the breed of choice for my farm, and seems to be beneficial interms of feed intake, maturity and milk production.
Thanks to Spirited Rose Farm, Iam empowered with great information given a choice which I made.
God bless Spirited Rose Farm!
LikeLike
do u know the beta casein for the brown swiss or which it is highest in
LikeLike
I have not studied that, but when things slow down on the farm this winter, I’ll check it out for you. 🙂
LikeLike
I have to throw in my vote for Guernsey. Wonderful delicious milk with tons of cream, not too big and not too small, good personality, and pretty to look at. Also most Guernseys are A2/A2 which is a plus. Second favorite breed is the Ayrshire. Wonderful milk and beautiful cows.
LikeLike
Lisa,
Have you considered blending G and J milk to merge the best qualities into one glass? Or is it too problematic? I understand that G milk is better in some ways while J is better in other ways. Does that make sense?
Thanks,
Mike
LikeLike
Some say the reason Tillamook cheese is so good is because it’s mostly Jersey with a bit of Holstein to lower the butterfat just enough to make it perfect for a hard cheese!
Probably not as realistic for a homesteader with just a few cows. But, if we need less cream, we can just skim it off! 🙂
Between Jersey and Guernsey there should not be too noticeable of a difference, they are pretty comparable milks.
LikeLike
Don’t forget the Guernsey is known to be one of the highest A2/A2 beta casein producers! Something like 90% of Guernsey milk is A2. I’ve had a couple of Jerseys and a couple of Guernseys, and although the Jersery’s are just plain adorable with those big brown eyes, I gotta say I LOVE my Guernsey girls more! I get more milk and just as much thick, delicious cream without the ornery attitude! 🙂
LikeLike
Jerseys are my favorite for looks and the cream is so lovely. I had more milking shorthorns, though, partly because the bull calves make great oxen!
LikeLike
I have had one of each breed, and the Jersey is my favorite hands down!
LikeLike
I have just tamed my first Dexter for milking. We also have a wonderful Jersey. Our little Dexter is giving over a gallon of milk a day in her first gestation. But I really love our Jersey for milking.
LikeLike
I would love to see you flesh out the Dutch-Belted assessment and make reference to their high grass to milk conversion rate, making them a great cow if you’re looking to grass-feed exclusively. When we took our DB to the vet he said she was the mildest cow he’d worked with and that he wished they were all that easy. I loved our Jersey when we had her, but I’m thrilled with our DB.
BTW, I’m sitting down tomorrow to spend quite a bit of time reading on your site. Thanks!
LikeLike
Good for Guernseys to be remembered, always easy for hand-milking.
LikeLike
Nothing beats a Jersey!!
LikeLike
Jerseys are my all time favorite 🙂
LikeLike
I admit, this website is heavily biased…. 😉
LikeLike
Thank you for this page and all the rest of it! We just got a Jersey and a Guernsey both in milk – and LOVE them!
For the contest – my favorite part of farming is the new adventure every day. No 2 days are even remotely alike 🙂
LikeLike