Chapter 18
Cattle Breeds
Most of the common cattle breeds in the United States are European in origin, with the majority originating in the British Isles, which for centuries led the world in animal breeding.
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Dairy Breeds
Although Britain has provided the majority of breeds, Holland gave us the Holstein-Friesian, the black-and-white breed that now accounts for most of the dairy cows in the United States.
Holstein-Friesian
These Dutch cattle, now the major dairy breed not only in the United States but in virtually all Western countries, were first brought to the United States in 1795. They have been bred here and in Canada to produce a volume of milk unmatched by any other breed. They are large, splotchy, black-and-white cows that also make quite creditable beef. The cows are often crossed with beef breeds, especially Hereford, and the calves are then raised for beef, providing the dairy farmer with an additional cash crop. Such calves are black with a white face.
Brown Swiss
One of the oldest breeds in existence, often valued as dual purpose because of the cattle’s large size. Brought to the United States from Switzerland in 1869. Their markings are virtually indistinguishable from those of the Jersey.
Ayrshire
Cherry red to brown with white in color. Their color patches are smaller and more broken than those of the Holstein-Friesian, and they are slightly smaller. If allowed to grow, their horns have an elegant lyre-shaped form. The carcass is of high quality and milk production is high; they may be considered dual-purpose cattle. Brought to the United States in the late nineteenth century from Ayrshire in southwestern Scotland.
Guernsey
The cow closest to the Jersey in the butterfat content of its milk, and in origin, coming from the island of Guernsey in the English Channel, about twenty-five miles from Jersey. Brought to the United States starting in 1830. Larger and generally heavier-boned and more rangy than the Jersey. The cream and butter have a very beautiful color. Back when there was more choice in quality of milk in the United States, the Guernsey dairymen sold their product under the name Golden Guernsey.
Jersey
Within sight of Normandy on the coast of France in the English Channel lies a group of four small islands—Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark. The islands are the native home of two distinct breeds of dairy cattle: the Jersey and the Guernsey. The island of Jersey, the largest of the group, has an extremely mild climate, and its cattle can be outdoors most of the year. On both Jersey and Guernsey, the eponymous breeds are the only cattle allowed by law on their respective islands to this day.
The Jersey breed probably has Eastern origins, by way of France, for the cattle are similar to those found in Asia. There is the same whitish ring around the muzzle, coloring of the coat, richness of the milk, and ability to acclimatize to extremes of heat and cold. Some of the Asian cattle have humps and do not give much milk, yet their progeny by Jersey bulls lose the hump, look like Jerseys, and milk much better than their dams. Another possible indication of the Eastern origin of the Jersey is that pictures of cattle found in tombs in ancient Egypt show a strong likeness to the breed.
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Why I Choose the Jersey
The virtues of the Jersey that make her an ideal family cow are as follows.
Milk Quality
She has the highest level of milk solids (protein and minerals) and vitamins, as well as butterfat, of any common breed of cattle.
Persistence of Production
She is a persistent milker, with the tendency to produce at a more even level throughout her lactation than is the case with most breeds. This is an especially valuable trait in a cow that is the only one providing for the family needs.
Long Milking Life
The Jersey starts in milking at a younger age than other breeds and can be expected to continue for a dozen years or more. In a study of more than a million cows of the five major breeds—Holstein, Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, Guernsey, and Jersey—Jerseys had the longest productive life. There are accounts of Jerseys successfully calving at age eighteen.
Adaptability
She is adaptable to a wide range of climatic conditions and is naturally strong in constitution. While smaller and finer boned, she is usually tougher in a stress situation than a Holstein.
Highest Return from Both Land and Feed
With her small size, the Jersey gives the highest return per acre of land and is marginally superior to other breeds in return on feed consumed. In other words, you get more milk per pound of feed. Stated another way, you are feeding less cow for the volume of milk produced.
The ideal Jersey is a wedge-shaped, beautifully formed, graceful animal with plenty of depth through the heart, good body capacity, and a large udder with well-placed teats. In size the Jersey cow rarely exceeds 900 pounds, averaging 750 to 800 pounds. The characteristic marking is the mealy ring around the nose, and the nose itself is black. (Most other breeds have a pink nose.) Coat colors are various shades of fawn, mulberry, broken fawn and white, mulberry and white, and silver.
An early puberty is one of the breed’s valuable assets. Heifers (young cows not yet calved for the first time; the term is also used to refer to cows that have calved once) are usually calved at age two or soon afterward. Jersey heifers are as mature at age two as those of other breeds are at two and one half years. Although the Jersey begins her working life early, this does not impair her ability to milk well and for as many (usually more) years as any other breed. A heifer will produce 6,000 to 12,000 pounds (750 to 1,500 gallons) of milk in a 305-day lactation. When a Jersey is two and a half years old (the age when heifers of other breeds are first calving) she may already have given 4,000 to 7,000 pounds of milk. There are many Jersey dairies with averages as high as 18,000 pounds of milk, which compares favorably with Holstein production.
Total farm profitability is usually better with the Holstein cow, which may produce 1,800 gallons (not pounds) of milk a year. The Jersey produces perhaps 900 gallons in a year. Simple arithmetic shows why this is so. The Holstein eats half again as much as the Jersey, takes half again as much land and housing space, but gives nearly twice as much milk by volume. Payment for milk in the commercial market is principally on the basis of volume. Although the industry has moved toward protein-based pricing, there is little reward in our fat-phobic culture for the extra cream. Production achieved by fewer cows means lower labor costs. And the Holstein calf crop is worth a great deal more because the calves are twice the size of Jersey calves and the fat is pure white. The fat of Jerseys and Guernseys is yellowish due to the presence of beta-carotene, which is absent in the Holstein. Because of the color of the fat, the Jersey carcass is disdained in the market. Jersey bull calves are often given away, while Holstein bull calves sell for $80 to $100. We have discussed milk quality, but the dairyman has to survive in a very difficult business and is forced to go for quantity. In yield per animal in relation to feed consumed, yield per animal in relation to acres grazed (feed conversion rates), length of working life, and the regularity of breeding, Jerseys come out ahead of Holsteins on all counts and thus are better suited to the household economy. But by factoring in labor costs, which are lower per gallon of milk for bigger Holsteins, and adding the greater carcass value, Holsteins remain the commercial choice.
A Jersey weighing 850 pounds might require 125 pounds of grass (wet weight) per day. On this basis, an acre of good grass supplies the feed requirements of a Jersey for 400 days or of ten Jerseys for 40 days in the year. A dairy cow of a larger breed, weighing perhaps 1,350 pounds, requires 200 pounds of grass a day, and an acre will provide its feed requirement for 250 days, or it will supply ten cows for 25 days. This variation also applies to the amounts of hay, silage, roots, kale, and other foods consumed in winter. In a family cow, this reduced level of feed requirement is a distinct advantage, brought about by the smaller amount of cow that must be maintained. Another asset of smaller size is that a Jersey takes up about three-fifths the space required by a larger breed and is easier to handle.
As noted, an important characteristic of the Jersey is her ability to keep up a steady flow of milk throughout her lactation. In many cases a cow commencing with a yield of five gallons a day is still giving three gallons thirty-nine weeks after calving.
Jersey milk has at least 20 percent more cream than Holstein milk. It also has 20 percent more minerals, protein, and vitamins. Although the milk of no other common breed exceeds the nutrient value of Jersey, the milk of all other cattle breeds is superior in nutrient content to Holstein milk, Holstein milk being tops only in water content. When Holstein milk falls below the legal minimum for solids it is fortified with added powdered milk (there is no labeling requirement for this), and there is a move afoot to require such fortification of all milk in order for it to achieve a protein standard more akin to that of Jersey milk, thus adding a huge multiple to the number of cows represented in each gallon of milk.
Cost
Several of the less common breeds offer most of the traits found in the Jersey, but they are more expensive. You will have to pay extra for their rarity, often a great deal extra, for characteristics that may not be very meaningful in the long run.
Intelligence
I recommend the Jersey for all the reasons discussed above. It also appears to me that the Jersey has the highest intelligence among cattle and the most interesting personality. People who have not known any cows always express astonishment when I declare that cows are as intelligent as dogs or horses. They thought cows were just walking meatloaf. I tell them of a cow I once had that would always come to the gate and bellow to tell us if another cow was calving. On one occasion she led us a long way into some brush to a cow calving down in a ditch. In the old days when a lot of people had cows, stories such as this and even better ones were common. Although my experience leads me to believe the Jersey to be especially intelligent and charming, cows are far from stupid.
Intelligence and charm are important in a family cow, because working with a responsive animal makes the relationship more enjoyable. In most books on dairy cattle there are tables showing comparisons of the various dairy breeds. These tables compare the milk quantity and quality, the size of the animals, the ages at first calving, and so on. There is also a column on “disposition” or “temperament.” The Jersey is usually listed as “nervous.” That is a superficial view. The Jersey is simply very alert and curious.
If, for reasons of availability or preference, you choose another breed, this book will be equally useful in establishing your own cow economy. For me, the quality of Jersey milk is the most persuasive factor and best answers the question of “Why a Jersey?”
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Dual-Purpose and Beef Breeds
Dual-purpose refers to breeds commonly used for both meat and milk. All breeds began as dual purposes. Naturally polled refers to animals born without horns.
Hereford
Sometimes called the Whiteface. A stocky breed that is a rich red-brown in color, with a white face, often with curly hair around the forehead. From the county of Hereford in England. Brought to the United States early in the nineteenth century. Popular in most areas of the country as a reliable producer of high-grade beef. Occasional individuals make fine family cows.
Shorthorn
Called Durham in some areas. Red, red and white, or roan and more rangy looking than the Hereford. Formerly a dual-purpose breed, though distinctive milk and beef types have now been developed. From Durham County in northern England. Also brought to the United States early in the nineteenth century. It’s the one you saw in All Creatures Great and Small. The Milking Shorthorn branch of the family has become rare. The milk is of very high quality.
Aberdeen-Angus
Also known as the Black Angus. Black, naturally polled cattle brought to the United States in 1873 from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. They are purely a beef breed, hardy, slow growing, and not easily handled, but with superior beef quality. Cows from this cross are pretty good milkers. As such, crosses with the Holstein are very common as a source of dairy beef.
Devon
Sometimes called Ruby Reds, and they are, indeed, ruby red in color. Similar in shape and size to the Angus. Brought to the United States one hundred years ago from Devon, in the West Country of England. Historically were dual-purpose but now have been bred divergently for milk or beef. Considered fine draft animals.
South Devon
A very large dual-purpose breed, weighing on average two hundred pounds more than a Holstein, and a creditable producer of high-quality milk and meat of outstanding flavor. Red-brown in color. A recent import to the United States, originating in the southern portion of County Devon, England. They have an interesting prehistoric appearance.
Dexter
An Irish Devon-Kerry cross. Short-legged, small, dual-purpose breed. The Dexter is rapidly gaining in popularity for its small size and creamy milk. The cream is a little slower to rise, making for good table quality.
Highland
Spreading horns; long, shaggy, tawny red coat; and a thick mane. From northern Scotland and used to heavy weather. Slower growing, but able to make it on rough grazing. Marvelous to look at!
Longhorn
There are both British and American versions. The British Longhorns have mostly disappeared into the Shorthorns, while the American variety is descended from cattle brought from Spain and is becoming rare, even though it is associated with the lore of Texas and the Wild West. Although the Longhorn was able to successfully become feral and increase in the American Southwest, it remains a distinct breed (like Dobermans or cocker spaniels among dogs) and is not a cattle ancestor, as for instance the wolf is to the dog.
Red Poll
Medium-sized, naturally polled dual-purpose cattle, blended from indigenous cattle of Norfolk and Suffolk, in eastern England.
Charolais
Large, white or cream-colored cattle from France. Fast-growing animals that have been imported into many countries in recent years. Popular in the United States for crossing with other breeds.
Brahman, Brangus, Santa Gertrudis
The hump-shouldered Brahmans are from India (in some countries they are known as Zebu). Brangus is a cross of Brahman and Angus. The Santa Gertrudis was developed in Texas by crossing Brahman and Shorthorn, with a view to obtaining an animal better able to stand the heat.
Beefalo
A fertile cross of the buffalo with cattle has been achieved. The virtues of this big animal are its abilities to grow rapidly on rough forage and to take the living in rough conditions. We raised a Jersey-beefalo cross and then butchered her at one year of age because she was a troublemaker. The meat had a mature flavor not ordinarily present before eighteen months of age and was of excellent quality. However, claims for nutritional superiority of beefalo or pure buffalo meat based on the absence of marbling are disingenuous. The same claim can be made with equal validity for meat from any dairy breed because only beef breeds produce marbled meat. Dairy beef will be available at a fraction of the cost. Always be suspicious of any claim that an animal product is “lower in cholesterol.” It is always code for lack of marbling or smaller serving size.