Top Exotic Beef & Dairy Cattle Breeds: Traits & Advantages

Exotic cattle breeds offer a diverse range of characteristics and qualities, catering to specific agricultural needs and preferences. In this article, we will explore two main categories: dairy breeds and beef breeds. Dairy breeds are known for their exceptional milk production, while beef breeds are developed for efficient meat production. By delving into the distinctive traits, origins, and advantages of each breed, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of these exotic cattle breeds.

a) Dairy Breeds of Cattle

These are cattle kept purposely for milk production. Good dairy cattle possess several qualities. Firstly, it should have a well-formed and suspended udder, with four teats that are fairly long, large, and well-placed.

Additionally, the animal should have a big milk vein, and the udder itself should be spongy. Strong ligaments supporting the front and hind quarters of the udder are also important.

Dairy cows should be wedge-shaped, meaning they have smaller chests and big hindquarters. Furthermore, they should have a high milk yield, although this can vary depending on the breed, feeding, and age of the animal.

A high fertility rate is desirable to enable regular calving. It is important for good dairy animals not to put on excessive fleshiness when lactating, as this would divert most of the food intake into producing flesh instead of milk.

Long lactation periods are favorable for dairy cows. The milk produced by good dairy cattle should have a high content of butterfat and protein.

Lastly, good dairy cattle should exhibit resistance to diseases, parasites, and varying ambient temperatures.

1. Holstein Friesian:

The origin of this breed is from the Netherlands, specifically Northern Holland and Friesland. The original stock consisted of black and white animals, with a recessive red color also existing.

The physical characteristics include a distinct black and white coat, with a mature weight of 908-1100 kg for bulls and 600-700 kg for cows. The Holstein Friesian is the largest dairy breed, with a daily weight gain of 1.150 g for fattening bulls.

On average, they are the most milk-performing cattle, yielding 8000 liters per lactation with a butterfat content of 4.0% and protein content of 3.3%.

They perform well under different production systems and climates and produce the highest volume of milk among dairy breeds. They also produce vigorous calves with rapid growth and early maturity, and can be cross-bred with beef cattle to produce good-quality veal.

2. Guernsey:

This breed was developed from the Norman Brindles and froment du Leon breeds on the channel island of Guernsey in Britain. Its physical characteristics include a pawn coat with white markings and yellow skin.

The mature weight for bulls is 700-850 kg and 500-600 kg for cows. On average, they have a milk yield of 5520 liters per lactation with a butterfat content of 5.0% and protein content of 4.0%.

Guernseys produce high-quality milk with 20-30% less feed than other large dairy breeds, are adaptable to a wide range of climatic and geographical conditions, and are easy to calve.

They are also excellent grazers and ideal for intensive grazing programs with lower feed costs compared to the Friesian.

3. Ayrshire:

This breed originated from Ayrshire County in Scotland. Its physical characteristics include a deep cherry red, mahogany, or brown coat with white markings, and a mature weight of 800-900 kg for bulls and 500-600 kg for cows.

On average, they have a milk yield of 5967 liters per lactation with a butterfat content of 3.9% and protein content of 3.4%. Ayrshires are strong, hardy, and aggressive cattle that perform well in all management systems, especially on pasture.

They are also known for producing calves with vigor and for having excellent udders.

4. Jersey:

This breed originated from Jersey Island in England. Its physical characteristics include a light grey fawn to almost black coat, with a dark muzzle and a ring of light around it.

The mature weight for bulls is 536-800 kg and 357-536 kg for cows. The Jersey breed is the smallest of all dairy breeds, with short heads and broad foreheads.

On average, they have a milk yield of 4000 liters per lactation with a butterfat content of 6.0% and protein content of 4.2%.

Jerseys are adaptable to a wide range of climatic and geographical conditions and are excellent grazers, performing well in intensive grazing programs.

They are also tolerant to heat and easy to calve, live longer, and mature faster compared to other dairy breeds

5. Brown Swiss:

The Brown Swiss cattle breed originated in Switzerland from the crossbreeding of cattle from Germany and Australia. They are medium-sized and medium-weighted with a uniform brown or grey-brown coat color.

The bulls are darker and have dark pigmentation on the horn tips, muzzle, and hooves, while their eyes have pale-rimmed edges.

Brown Swiss bulls weigh 1000-1200kg while cows weigh 600-700kg. The breed is well-muscled with an average fine bone formation, with a milk yield of 6300 liters per lactation, a butterfat content of 4.0%, and a protein content of 3.7%. Their average daily weight gain is 1.150g.

Attributes of Brown Swiss include early fast calving with persistent lactation and a good carcass yield of 62%.

6. Sahiwal:

The Sahiwal cattle breed originated from Pakistan in South Asia and was originally used for both draft power and milk production. They have a reddish-brown coat color with some white in the neck and underline, and darker colors at the extremities for males.

Bulls weigh 500-700kg, and cows weigh 340-400kg. The breed has a coffin-shaped head and long, droopy ears set behind the level of the eyes, and large, massive humps that frequently fall to one side for bulls.

They have a heavily built, short-legged body, very short, thick horns, loose and pliable skin, and a large, pendulous udder with large teats.

The average daily weight gain is 300g, and milk yield per lactation is 1574 liters.

Attributes of Sahiwal include high resistance to internal and external parasites, heat tolerance, fast-growing and hardy calves under harsh conditions, a lean quality carcass, and good milk production.

7. Simmental Dual Purpose:

The Simmental Dual Purpose cattle breed originated from the Simme Valley of Switzerland. They have a coat color ranging from pale gold to dark reddish-brown, with white heads and largely white lower legs.

Bulls weigh 1200kg and cows weigh 750kg. The breed has an average milk yield of 51000 liters per lactation, with a butterfat content of 4.0% and a protein content of 3.4%.

Their average daily weight gain is 1000g.

Attributes of Simmental Dual Purpose include strong bones and well-developed muscles, rapid and fast growth, suitability for all-purpose crossing with smaller breeds, and imposing stature.

8. Jamaica Hope:

The Jamaica Hope cattle breed originated in Jamaica and is mainly distributed in the islands of the West Indies. The breed has an average milk production of 3185-3640 liters per lactation.

b)    Beef Breeds of Cattle

Beef cattle, such as Angus, Hereford, or Shorthorn breeds, are primarily developed for efficient meat production. They possess distinctive characteristics, including the capacity for rapid growth, a heavy, rectangular, well-fleshed body, and comparatively short, stocky neck and legs when compared to dairy cattle.

Good beef cattle are characterized by their ability to mature early and reach slaughter weight promptly. They should have thick muscles, be bred regularly, and possess square rumps. Fast growth and weight gain are desirable traits, as well as short legs and long, broad backs.

Efficient conversion of herbage into meat is essential, with a high conversion ratio to utilize grass effectively. Beef animals should be capable of surviving long drought periods without excessive weight loss and should exhibit a blocky, square appearance.

High resistance and tolerance to heat, parasites, and diseases in the environment are also important attributes.

1. Aberdeen Angus:

The Aberdeen Angus originates from North East Scotland in the counties of Aberdeen, Angus, Banff, and Kincardine. It is considered one of the best in terms of beef quality due to its good marbling ability.

The breed matures early and is naturally polled, without horns. Additionally, they are good converters of roughages into beef.

The main disadvantage is that they are relatively small, with a weight of 720kg for cows and 900kg for mature bulls.

2. Hereford:

The Hereford originates from Herefordshire in England. It produces a bigger carcass than the Aberdeen Angus, with better-quality meat.

Herefords are good foragers and are efficient in converting forage into meat. They are known for putting on weight when fed on good grass, with a calf weighing 204-250kg at 6 months and a bull weighing 817kg at 18 months.

3. Shorthorns:

The Shorthorns, also known as Tees Valley cattle, originated from the North East coast of England in the River Tees Valley.

They have a high heritability for desirable traits, and beef breeders tend to emphasize weight for age and easy fleshing ability.

With both of these desirable traits, the Shorthorns have a body weight of 545-634kg for cows and 817-999kg for bulls.

4. Galloway:

The Galloway originates from Scotland and is black, smaller than the Aberdeen Angus, and usually long-haired. This breed is adapted to cold climates, making it suitable for most parts of East Africa, excluding island areas such as Molo, where it is wet and cool.

5. American Brahman:

The American Brahman is a zebu cattle breed that originated in India. It is found mostly in Central America and South U.S.A, specifically in Mexico and Texas. They are heat-tolerant and capable of grazing in ambient temperatures as high as 38℃.

However, they do not mature as fast as the Shorthorns, Hereford, and Angus, with a calving age of 2 years as opposed to 1.5 years for other beef cattle.

6. Santa Gertrudis:

The Santa Gertrudis breed was developed from a cross of American Brahman and Shorthorn at the King Ranch in Texas. This breed is known for its hardiness, early maturity, and ability to put on weight on relatively poor pastures.

7. Romagnola:

The Romagnola breed was developed from ancient wild cattle (Bos primigenius nomadicusa and Bos primigenius podolicus) in the Romagna district of North East Italy.

With a white to light grey coat, heavier muscles, and pronounced horns, the Romagnola is one of the largest beef breeds of cattle.

They have an average daily weight gain of 1,300g and are economical feed converters, good for high carcass yield, and have low calving difficulties.

8. Bonsmara:

The Bonsmara breed was developed from Afrikaner (5/8), Hereford (3/16), and Shorthorn (3/36) breeds and is found in the areas of Transvaal, Natal, and South Africa.

With a red coat and double muscling, the Bonsmara has a mature weight of 892-1200kg for bulls and 560-900kg for cows.

The breed has high reproductive efficiency, low calf mortalities, improved winning weights, and high growth rates, and is more adapted to the tropical environment, resistant to tick-borne diseases, and are good extensive grazers and functionally efficient.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the world of exotic cattle breeds offers a vast array of options for both dairy and beef production. Dairy breeds, such as the Holstein Friesian, Guernsey, Ayrshire, Jersey, Brown Swiss, Sahiwal, Simmental Dual Purpose, and Jamaica Hope, cater to specific milk production needs with their unique characteristics and advantages.

On the other hand, beef breeds like the Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, Shorthorns, Galloway, American Brahman, Santa Gertrudis, Romagnola, and Bonsmara are developed to efficiently produce high-quality meat with traits such as early maturation, rapid growth, and heat tolerance.

These exotic cattle breeds are carefully bred and selected to meet various agricultural requirements and environmental conditions. Farmers can choose the breed that best suits their specific needs, whether it's maximizing milk production, achieving superior meat quality, or thriving in challenging climates.

Each breed brings its own set of qualities, such as milk yield, butterfat content, adaptability, growth rates, and disease resistance, allowing farmers to make informed decisions based on their priorities and goals.