Dairy Breeds and Selection

1. Dairy Breeds and Selection Original Power Point Created by Randal Cales Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office June 2002

2. 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

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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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

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

10. Major Breeds of Dairy CattleReview Jersey

11. Major Breeds of Dairy CattleReview Milking Shorthorn

12. Major Breeds of Dairy CattleReview Brown Swiss

13. Major Breeds of Dairy CattleReview Guernsey

14. Major Breeds of Dairy CattleReview Milking Devon

15. Major Breeds of Dairy CattleReview Ayrshire

16. Major Breeds of Dairy CattleReview Holstein

17. Dairy Breeds and SelectionTerms 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

18. Dairy Breeds and SelectionTerms 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

19. Dairy Breeds and SelectionTerms 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.

20. Dairy Breeds and SelectionTerms 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.

21. Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection Milk Production Facts Breed Percent Butterfat Pounds Butterfat Pounds Milk Production Holstein 3.66 703 19,185 Ayrshire 3.95 569 14,398 Jersey 4.75 618 13,020 Brown Swiss 4.03 606 15,062 Guernsey 4.57 611 13,363 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?

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

23. Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) • Dairy character (independent of performance) • Best- extremely sharp • Worst- extremely thick • 4. Foot and shape (angle) • Best- extremely steep angle • Worst- extremely low angle

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

25. Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits and Selection (Dairy Evaluation System) 7. Rump width Best- extreme width Worst- extremely narrow • Fore udder attachment • Best- extremely tight attachment • Worst- extremely broken

26. Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits 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

27. Dairy Breeds and SelectionTraits 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

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

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

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

31. Dairy Breeds and SelectionSuggested Activity • Acquire 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.