dairy cattle breeds

Cattle, at the initial stages of their domestication, produced a relatively small amount of milk, sufficient only to rear their calves. Early cattle breeding focused largely on meat production, and the development of high milk yield in cows was a later development. Dairy cattle breeds were eventually established by years of careful selection and mating of animals to attain desired qualities. Increased milk and butterfat production was the chief objective, although some breeds were selected for increased milk and protein production. In the early 1800s the average dairy cow produced less than 1,500 liters (396 gallons) of milk annually. With advances in animal nutrition and selective breeding, a single dairy cow now produces an average of 6,500 liters (1,717 gallons) of milk a year. Some remarkable cows can even produce up to 10,000 liters (2,641 gallons) a year. See also dairying and dairy product.

(Read Britannica’s essay “Why Did Adult Humans Start Drinking Milk?”)

Commercial dairy cows are divided into five major breeds: Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein–Friesian, and Jersey. There are many minor breeds, among them the Red Dane, the Dutch Belted, and the Devon. There are also dual-purpose breeds used to produce milk and meat, notably the Milking Shorthorn and the Red Polled.

A comparison of selected breeds of dairy cattle is provided in the following table.

Selected breeds of dairy cattle

	name	distribution	characteristics	comments
	Ayrshire	originally Scotland, now throughout temperate lands	deep, fleshy body; red or brown with white	hardy
	Brown Swiss	originally Switzerland, now North and South America, Europe	wedge-shaped body; light to dark brown	hardy
	Guernsey	originally island of Guernsey, now United Kingdom, North America, Australia	fawn-coloured with white markings; short horns	excellent milk producer
	Holstein-Friesian	originally Netherlands, now North and South America, Australia, South Africa	black and white; horned or hornless	large production of milk
	Jersey	originally island of Jersey, now every cattle-raising country	small, short-horned; varies in colour, often fawn	docile; uses feed efficiently
	Milking Shorthorn	originally England, now also United States, Australia	red, red and white, white, or roan	highly versatile
	Red Poll	originally England, now also North America	red with some white; hornless	dual-purpose breed