as someone who knows NOTHING about cows, can you sum up the differences of the breeds please?
Most popular dairy breed - like 90% of world herd or something crazy like that
One of the two largest dairy breeds
Milk tends to have fairly low components
Generally not the longest living breed
Some lines are great, some are trainwrecks - result of extreme popularity
Small size leads to increased feed efficiency
Milk extremely high in butterfat and components - farmers sometimes get paid based on components so they like this
Better longevity than Holsteins
Curious, high strung temperament
Very much prone to milk fever, more so than Holsteins
The second of the two largest dairy breeds
Known for great, sound, feet and legs
Second highest producer in terms of volume produced
Known for being stubborn and not always easy to work with
Smaller fat globules in milk make their milk ideal for cheese making
Milk tends to be yellow-gold in color as a result of containing extra beta-karotene
Highest proportion of A2 milk producers as a breed
Milk contains almost as much fat as jerseys
Like jerseys, very prone to milk fever
Breeding for production has resulted in a lot of guernseys that aren’t particularly sound - have a bad reputation in that regard
Known for having a more aggressive, dominant temperament than the others
That’s all I really know about them. A study showed they’re the most likely to antagonize their herdmates. Lol.
Supposedly they have particularly nice udders
Do well grazing and on lower quality feeds; low maintenance
Tend to be longer lived and hardier than some of the other breeds
Have a bad rep for being too “beefy”, technically a dual purpose breed
Like the Ayrshire, do great on lower quality pastures than other breeds
Generally tend to have the lowest SCCs of all the breeds
Known for having quiet, easy-going temperaments - even the bulls
Also like the Ayrshire, tend to be healthier and long-lived than the other breeds
gummygunk
jimmyeatworldofficial
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