Thirteen Breeds of Cattle
1. Charolais – a very old breed from France. Animals are cream or white in color.
2. Angus – an English breed. Black in color.
3. Brahman – Very hardy and adaptable cattle. Hair color varies from light grey to red or black. The animal’s dark skin acts as a filter to the sun and this makes it suitable for the hot areas in the USA.
4. Hereford – one of my favorites with their white head and red bodies. They are an English breed, are docile with a high fertility rate and good mothering skills.
5. Limousin – a very old breed originating in France. They’re very hardy. They come in red to gold shades.
6. Maine Anjou – Another French breed. They are large animals, well-muscled animals with red coats.
7. Shorthorn – this is the breed my father had when we were growing up. They’re an English breed and can be red, white or roan (sort of a speckled mixture). They’re quiet and easy to handle.
8. Simmental – They can be traced back to Switzerland. They are a large, docile breed and are red and white or gold and white.
9. Texas Longhorn – It’s an American breed that traces its origins back to the first cattle imported into the country. They have massive horns and come in lots of different colors.
10. Scottish Highland – a breed that originates in Scotland. They have shaggy coats to keep them warm, horns and come in red, black or blonde. I have it on good authority that they’re good to eat.
11. Belgian Blue – They come from Belgium and are primarily milking cows. Their colors range from white, blue-roan to black. The breed is well-known for its impressive muscling.
12. Galloway – A Scottish breed. They are mainly black and have a soft and wavy coat, which serves to protect it from wind and rain. It’s a maternal and hardy breed, naturally lean and an excellent forager.
13. Murray Grey – this breed developed in Australia and are grey in color. They are maternal and good milkers. The calves are small at birth and the breed is known as a docile one.
My father has a house cow called Donna. Donna is big and black and comes when my father calls her. She likes to eat carrots and if you’re not quick feeding her, she slimes you with her tongue. It’s also not good to have carrots in hand when she comes running. A fence between is a good idea. My father says that sometimes when he’s milking her (by hand) she’ll turn around and lick him on the face.
I have milked a cow before – it was one of our jobs when we were kids. I was very slow and the cow would grow impatient and start kicking at the bucket. My brother and sister were better at the job and took over, delegating a different job to me.
Have you ever milked a cow by hand? If not, would you like to try?
Even though my family – great aunt and cousins, that is – had a farm, I have never milked a cow. I don’t know that I would want to try, to be honest. I have no idea why, but the thought makes me nervous! LOL!
Interesting post, by the way. I never knew any of this!
Ciao for now!
Happy TT!
This is an interesting post this week. My favorite, the Santa Gertrudis [spelling], isn’t on your list…but being a Texan…glad to see the longhorns!! They’re awesome too. [having grandparents on a farm years ago, I tried milking a cow]
My Thursday 13 [scroll below my Thursday Thunks] post is now published. It’s a fun quiz for you with a PRIZE I made to grab– if you win!! If you have time….would appreciate your visit. Have a great day.
I have to say, I’ve never had the unusual pleasure of milking a cow by hand. Kind of makes me wonder now what it would feel like.
Interesting T13. I never would have guess there were so many different types of cows.
-Chris
Never had the ‘milking a cow’ experience:)
Happy Thursday, bud.
I milked a cow once, when I was a boy. I like cows. I’m vegan now, so I like them for their peaceful presence.
Milking by hand is hard!!
It has been many many years ago but that was the memory that stuck with me.
My son milked a cow at camp two years ago. He still talks about it!
This makes me wonder what kind of cows my Aunt and Uncle had when I was growing up & visited their farm all the time.
I have such a soft spot in my heart for Scottish Highland cattle. When I was a nanny in Toronto, I used to take the little girl I looked after to the small animal exhibit in High Park, which was a 15 minute walk from her house. There was a small herd of Scottish Highland cattle there and we grew quite affectionate towards them.
I’ve never milked a cow before but there’s always tomorrow…
Who knew? I’ve never milked a cow, but we named one Daisy we rode by all the time on the bike. She’d always look up and watch us waving at herlol
Happy T13!
Angus and Herefords were the only ones I knew, but these are awesome!!!
I milked a cow once. I wasn’t very good at it.
My father-in-law wants to raise Scottish Highland cattle. And yeah, I’ve tried milking when I was a kid. My grandfather had Hosteins. Good post.
Having spent most of my childhood on a farm, alot of these are familiar. :grin: Great list, Shelley.
No I’ve never milked a cow. I probably wouldn’t be very good at it.
Hmm I don’t think I want to milk a cow, which is pretty bad since I’m married to a dairy farmers son. LOL!
My mother’s father raised Charloais. My father’s father raised White Faced Hertford. They could never agree on anything.
I have never milked a cow before, not that I’m opposed the opportunity has simply never presented itself. Interesting TT! Happy Thursday!
I had NO idea there were so many different types of cows. Does that mean there are that many different flavors of cheese?
I love the Scottish Highland cattle or, as my boss calls them, shaggy cows. We pass a farm of red and blonde ones en route to work, and they have the cutest faces. I have never milked a cow, and not from lack of opportunity. Your father’s house cow sounds adorable!
My Dad taught me to identify MANY different types of cows, but a few on your list are new to me ;–)
Hugs and blessings,
Nope, I’ve never milked a cow, but sure, I’d try it!
I grew up around Holsteins, the big black and white beauties, and they are still my favorites. I have milked many cows by hand, most recently on a farm field trip to show my daughter how “easy” it was.
I had no idea there were so many breeds!
*hugs*
Paige
My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/
I read this pretty interesting thing about cows a while back. Apparently cows often take an intense dislike to certain other cows and they can remember it years later. And they tend to gang up in grous of two or three BFFs. They can also recognize over twenty different human faces.
Flicka – that is interesting, and having seen herds of cattle while growing up, I’d have to agree. There are usually a few who are real bullies as well.
Julia – I really like the Highland cattle as well. I took a whole lot of photos at the local show. They’re meant to be very good to eat but I don’t know how someone could eat something that cute!
Yvette – LOL – probably. I’ve heard that the milk of some breeds is better than others for drinking.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who had trouble with milking. You have to develop strong muscles in your forearms and hands, I think.
Oh, and the ability to react quickly if the cow decides to kick or swish her tail. A tail swished in the face really hurts!!
I’ve always said I’d love to milk a cow, but when push comes to shove, will I? I guess I’ll have to actually find out one day. My bet’s on YES. Why not at least try? As Trevor would say, life’s for living.