List of dairy cattle breeds

Last updated

Dairy Cows Dairy cows.jpg
Dairy Cows

Dairy cattle are those primarily raised for their milk as part of dairy farming. Dairy cattle are breeds of cattle specifically raised for the production of large quantities of milk. [1] This milk is processed into dairy products such as cheese, butter, yogurt, and cream. Dairy farming plays a critical role in the agricultural economy worldwide, where dairy farming is both a commercial and subsistence activity. There are several popular breeds of dairy cattle globally, including Holstein, Jersey, Guernsey, Ayrshire, and Brown Swiss. [2] Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle are particularly common due to their high milk production and adaptability to local conditions. [3] Holsteins are preferred for large-scale commercial farming, while Jerseys are popular among smallholder farmers. [4]

Contents

BreedCountry of originAverage milk output per day [Note 1] Other
Volume (L)Volume (US Gallons)Milk solids (kg) Butterfat (% w/v)Butterfat (kg)Protein (% w/v)Protein (kg)

Abondance France
Alderney England
American Milking Devon United States 235Originally bred from the North Devon cattle
Australian Braford Australia
Australian Friesian Sahiwal Australia
Australian Lowline Australia
Australian Milking Zebu Australia
Ayrshire Scotland [5] 24.66.53.86 [6] 3.06 [6]
Belgian Red Belgium
Bianca Modenese Italy
Brown Swiss Switzerland [5] 3084.04 [6] 3.38 [6]
Burlina Italy
Buša Balkan 5.71.5
Canadienne Canada 113Extremely rare, found in Quebec.
Dairy Shorthorn England 226
Danish Jersey Denmark
Danish Red Denmark
Dexter Ireland 7.52Very small in size. Used in domestic farms.
Estonian Red Estonia 11.22.9
Fleckvieh (Simmental) Austria 25.46.7
French Simmental France
Gangatiri India 71.8
German Black Pied Dairy Germany
Girolando Brazil 11.43
Guernsey Guernsey [5] 1954.51 [6] 3.37 [6] One of the Channel Islands cattle.
Harzer Rotvieh Germany
Hays Converter Canada
Hérens Switzerland
Holstein-Friesian Netherlands [5] 53143.65 [6] 3.06 [6] Known for producing the most milk of any cattle.
Illawarra Shorthorn Australia [5] 7.52
Irish Moiled Ireland 7.52Rare breed and can be dual purpose, meat and milk.
Jamaica Hope Jamaica
Jersey Jersey [5] 1954.60 [6] 3.59 [6] Has a very high content of butterfat in the milk.
Lakenvelder (Dutch Belted) Netherlands 185
Meuse-Rhine-Issel Germany
Montbéliarde France 216
Normande France 185
Norwegian Red Norway 185
Old Gloucester England
Randall Lineback United States
Pie Rouge des Plaines France
Pinzgauer Austria
Podolica Italy 51.3
Red Chittagong Bangladesh
Red Poll England 154A cross of Norfolk Red and Suffolk Dun
Red Sindhi Pakistan
Sahiwal Pakistan 7.21.9
Sussex England
Tipo Carora Venezuela
Tyrol Grey Austria
Vorderwald Germany

Notes

  1. ↑ Milk production varies due to a significant range of variables including age of the cow, time of year, climate conditions, type of feed and specific breed lineages. Particular attention should be made to citations for figures used in this table for the methods used to obtain these average figures.

References

  1. ↑ "dairy cattle - Agrovoc - AGROVOC". agrovoc.fao.org. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  2. ↑ "Dairy cattle breeds | Milk Production, Domestication, List, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  3. ↑ "Holstein-Friesian Cattle - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  4. ↑ "Holstein-Friesian Cattle - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Dairy cow breeds in Australia". www.dairy.edu.au. Dairy Australia . Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Heinrichs, Jud; Jones, Coleen M.; Bailey, Ken. "Milk Components: Understanding Milk Fat and Protein Variation in Your Dairy Herd". PennState Extension. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences . Retrieved 2022-06-13.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.