Choosing New Livestock is important, because the different breeds have various strengths and weaknesses. Here’s everything you should know about the subject.
Choosing New Livestock to Meet Your Goals
Are you a dairy farmer hoping to increase milk production? Or a rancher with a barn filled with champion show heifers? No matter what your goals are, you’ll want to keep them in mind when Choosing New Livestock.
Cattle breeds that are best for dairy production are Jersey, Holstein, Guernsey, Milking Shorthorn, Brown Swiss, and Ayrshire. The most common breed in the United States, in terms of numbers, is the Holstein. Dairy cows usually have their first calf around two years of age, and then are able to have another calf about every year after that. In the first stages of lactation, a mature cow can produce up to 12 gallons of milk a day.
When choosing livestock for beef production, most people in the U.S. go with Angus, Hereford, and Shorthorn. These breeds were brought over from the British in the early 19th century. They’re known for being hardy birthers, even though they don’t attain as large a size as other European counterparts such as the Charolais, Limousin, and Maine Anjou.
Show cattle come in practically all breeds and types, as long as they’re purebred. But you can also see some exotic or rare breeds at shows, including the Belted Galloway, British White, Chianina, and miniatures.
Here’s a bit of trivia: India has the most cattle in the world, and they are practically all the Brahman breed.
