Dairy Breeds and Selection

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Dairy Breeds and Selection
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Objectives

• Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle
• Dairy Terms and Definitions
• Parts of a Dairy Cow
• Dairy Traits and Selection

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Holstein

• Black and White or Red and White color pattern
• Large sized
• Heavy milk producers
• Not registered if all white or black

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Jersey

• Color varies (light gray to dark fawn being
  darker around head and hips)
• Has a dished face
• Produces more pounds of milk per body weight than
  any other dairy breed.

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Gurnsey

• Red (Fawn) and White in color
• Medium sized
• High milk production to feed intake ratio
• Milk is high in betacarotene and has a rich
  yellow color

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Brown Swiss

• Solid brown, varying from very light to dark
• Large sized
• Light colored band around the muzzle
• One of the oldest Dairy breeds

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Ayrshire

• Red and white in color (amount varies)
• Medium sized
• Purebred Ayrshires only produce red offspring
• Average milk production

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Milking Shorthorn

• Red and white or any combination of red and white
• Dual purpose breed used for meat after used for
  milk
• Calves are excellent vealers

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Milking Devon

• Red in color
• Triple purpose (Draft, beef, milk)
• Medium sized

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Review

• Jersey

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Review

• Milking Shorthorn

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Review

• Brown Swiss

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Review

• Guernsey

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Review

• Milking Devon

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Review

• Ayrshire

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Review

• Holstein

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Terms

• bull - Mature male dairy animal
• cow - Mature female dairy shows evidence of
  having produced one or more calves
• heifer - female dairy animal that has not borne a
  calf

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Terms

• calf - male of female dairy animal under one year
  of age
• springer - cow showing signs of pregnancy
• breed characteristics - physical traits that
  differentiate on breed from another

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionTerms

• dairy character - characteristics indicating the
  animal will be useful in the dairy industry
  (sharpness and flatness of bones, length of neck,
  openness and slant of ribs)
• butterfat - percent of fat in the milk
• milk production - amount in pounds of milk that a
  cow produces during a lactation period

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Terms

• lactation - span of time that a cow is giving
  milk
• dairy herd improvement records (DHI) production
  records kept on producing dairy cattle
• mammary system - parts of the cow directly
  responsible for producing and storing milk
• pedigree - register of lines of ancestry

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection
(Dairy Evaluation System)

• 1. Stature (height) measured from the top of
  withers to the ground
• -tall is good
• 2. Depth of body from the top of the back to the
  bottom of the heart girth and belly area
• - Deeper is better

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection
(Dairy Evaluation System)

• 3. Dairy character (independent of performance)
  Sharpness and flatness of bones, length of neck,
  openness and slant of ribs
• -we want them to look feminine and like a dairy
  cow (extremely sharp)
• 4. Foot Angle determines whether the cow walks
  well or is on its tip-toes or too sloping and
  almost on its dewclaws
• -Intermediate Angle is the best

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection
(Dairy Evaluation System)

• 5. Rear legs (side view) How straight or sloping
  the hock joint is
• - We want slight set in the hock
• 6. Rump Angle levelness from hooks to pins
• -we want nearly angle

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection
(Dairy Evaluation System)

• 7. Thurl (Rump) width Measure the pelvic area
  form side to side
• -extremely wide is best
• 8. Fore udder attachment Strength of udder
  attachment to the body wall
• -extremely tight attachment is what we want no
  cartoon cows!

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection
(Dairy Evaluation System)

• 9. Rear udder width How wide the udder is at
  attachment site
• -wider the better
• 10. Rear udder height How high the udder extends
  in relation to the vulva
• -Higher the better

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection
(Dairy Evaluation System)

• 11. Teat placement (rear view) Are the teats
  centrally placed in each quarter
• - Central is best
• 12. Cleft How defined the udder crease is
  (measured when viewed from behind.
• -extremely cleft is best

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection
(Dairy Evaluation System)

• 13. Udder depth (relative to point of hock) We
  want the udder floor to set above the hock
• - udder floor at hock is best

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection

• Milk Production Facts
• Breed Percent Butterfat Pounds Butterfat Pounds
  Milk Prod
• Holstein 3.66 703 19,185
• Ayrshire 3.95 569 14,398
• Jersey 4.75 618 13,020
• Brown Swiss 4.03 606 15,062
• Guernsey 4.57 611 13,363
• Think about this?
• 1. Which breed produced the most total pounds of
  milk? Why do think this is so?
• 2. Why would butterfat be important to milk?
• 3. What breed produced the lowest total pounds of
  butterfat?
• 4. What would you think the most popular breed of
  Dairy cattle would be judging from this data?
  Why?
• 5. What is the definition of milk production?
  Why would a cow be lactating?

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionUse What you have
learned

• Which animal would be considered desirable?
• What terms would you use to describe the
  differences?
• Which animal shows the best general appearance?
• Are these cows or heifers? Why?

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Dairy Breeds and SelectionUse What you have
learned

• Which animal would be considered desirable?
• What terms would you use to describe the
  differences?
• Which shows more dairy character? What are the
  indicators?
• What about the udder?