Dairy Breeds and Selection

Dairy Breeds and Selection Overview Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Dairy Terms and Definitions Parts of a Dairy Cow Dairy Traits and Selection Judging Contests

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Holstein Black and White or Red and White color pattern Large sized Heavy milk producers

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Jersey Color varies (light gray to a dark fawn being darker around the head and hips) Medium sized Produces more pounds of milk per body weight than any other dairy breed.

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Guernsey Red (Fawn) and White in color Medium sized High milk production to feed intake ratio Milk is high in betacarotene

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Brown Swiss Solid brown, varying from very light to dark Large sized Light colored band around the muzzle One of the oldest Dairy breeds Above average milkfat content

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Ayrshire Red and white in color (amount varies) Medium sized Purebred Ayrshires only produce red offspring Average milk production

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Milking Shorthorn Red and white or any combination of red and white Dual purpose breed Medium sized Average milk producer Split from the American Shorthorn Assoc. in 1949

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Milking Devon Red in color Triple purpose (Draft, beef, milk) Not normally raised for milk production Medium sized

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Review Jersey

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Review Milking Shorthorn

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Review Brown Swiss

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Review Guernsey

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Review Milking Devon

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Review Ayrshire

Major Breeds of Dairy Cattle Review Holstein

Dairy Breeds and Selection 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 Calf- Male or female dairy animal under one year of age Steer- castrated male beef animal. Springer - Cow showing signs of pregnancy

Dairy Breeds and Selection Terms Dairy character - characteristics indicating the animal will be useful in the dairy industry Butterfat (milkfat)- percent of fat in the milk Milk production - amount in pounds of milk that a cow produces during a lactation period Lactation - span of time that a cow is giving milk Pedigree - register of lines of ancestry Dairy Herd Improvement records (DHI)- production records kept on producing dairy cattle

Dairy Breeds and Selection Terms Freshen- When a dairy cow gives birth to a calf Dry Cow- A cow that is between lactations Body Capacity- The length, depth and width of the body Withers - The part where the shoulders and back come together Hooks- The two bones that stick out at the hip of a dairy cow Pins - Bones on either side of the tail at the back of the rump.

Dairy Breeds and Selection Terms Mammary system - parts of the cow directly responsible for producing and storing milk Mammary Vein- The vein that runs down the belly of a cow and supplies blood to the mammary system Teats- The part of the udder where milk is made available to the young animal Median Suspensory Ligament- The cleft or indentation that lifts and separates the two halves of the udder and holds them in place. Fore Udder Attachment- Muscles/ligaments where the front portion of the udder is attached to the abdominal areas of the cow. Rear Udder Attachement- Muscles/ligaments that hold the rear udder in place.

Dairy Breeds and Selection Traits and Selection Milk Production Facts BreedPercent Butterfat Pounds Butterfat Pounds Milk Production Holstein ,185 Ayrshire ,398 Jersey ,020 Brown Swiss ,062 Guernsey ,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?

Dairy Breeds and Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 1.Stature (measured at withers) 2.Best-extremely tall 3.Worst-extremely short 2.Chest and body (considering age and stage of lactation) 3. Best-wide chest, deep rib, long body 4.Worst-extremely narrow and frail

Dairy Breeds and Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 3.Dairy character (independent of performance) 4. Best-extremely sharp 5.Worst-extremely thick 6.4. Foot and shape (angle) 7. Best-extremely steep angle 8.Worst-extremely low angle

Dairy Breeds and Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 5. Rear legs (side view) Best-extremely sickled Worst-extremely posty 6.Pelvic angle 7. Best-severe slope 8.Worst-pins higher than hooks

Dairy Breeds and Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 7. Rump width Best-extreme width Worst-extremely narrow 8.Fore udder attachment 9. Best-extremely tight attachment 10.Worst-extremely broken

Dairy Breeds and Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 9. Rear udder width (at attachment) Best-extreme width Worst-extremely narrow 10. Rear udder height (at attachment) Best-extremely high Worst-extremely low

Dairy Breeds and Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 11. Teat placement (rear view) Best-extremely close placement Worst-extremely wide placement 12. Suspensory ligament (cleft) Best-extremely cleft Worst-cleft is broken

Dairy Breeds and Selection Traits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 13. Udder depth (relative to point of hock) Best-extremely shallow Worst-extremely deep

Dairy Breeds and Selection “Use What you have learned” 2Which animal would be considered desirable? 2What terms would you use to describe the differences? 2Which animal shows the best general appearance? 2Are these cows or heifers? Why?

Dairy Breeds and Selection “Use What you have learned” 2Which animal would be considered desirable? 2What terms would you use to describe the differences? 2Which shows more dairy character? What are the indicators? 2What about the udder?

Dairy Breeds and Selection Suggested Activity Aquire 3 gallons (what ever is needed for the size of the class). Milk must have the cream included. 1/2 gallon of homogenized milk. 1/2 gallon of 2% milk. A number of small dixie cups. Small glass containers with tight lids. Discuss the differences between fresh milk and milk from the supermarket. Divide the students into pairs of teams of 3. Have them separate the cream out of the fresh milk. Taste test the three samples of milk and describe the differences in writing. Place the separated cream in the glass containers with lids. Have the students shake the cream until it turns to butter. Note: This activity could be team taught with the Family and Consumer Science instructor. Bread could be made available for sampling the butter. A field trip to a dairy to view the milking process are other possible activities.