Top 10 Cattle for Milk Production

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There are more than about 800 cattle breeds in the world, some of which are used to produce milk and some are for meat, but all cattle breeds are not good producers of milk and meat commercially. There are many cattle, that are increased for beef production and many breeds are increased for milk production as well or equally.

Cattle for Milk Production:

Some cattle are for milk and some are for beef production but there are some cattle that are farmed for both. Here we are discussing the top 10 cattle for milk production all around the world.

1. Holstein Cattle Breed

Holstein, full name is Holstein-Friesian Cattle or many call it Friesian Cattle that is Holstein. These are large, stylish with color patterns of black and white or red and white as well. A healthy Holstein calf average weighs 90 pounds at birth. According to our team choice, it is the number one cattle for milk.

Angus cattle
Holstein Cattle Breed; Image by Karsten Paulick from Pixabay

A fully matured Holstein cow weighs about 1500 pounds. It an amazing milk producer and even it is the highest milk producer as a dairy farm animal in the world. These dairy cattle produced milk 32,740 kg.

2. Norwegian Red Cattle Breed 

Norwegian Red is well known for the fortune of its milk production. Generally, it provides about 10,000-kilogram milk productions per year but the top Norwegian Red cows produce about 16,000kg of milk a year.

This breed more than 90% of Norway’s total cattle figures but Norwegian Red cattle are a very popular Continental European breed, which came to be first introduced around the 1930s. They’re normally red and white or black and white-colored. Norwegian Red cattle are of medium size; normally it grows up to about 1,300kg and cows weighing around 600kg. So, this is why you can consider this breed as the second cattle for milk.

3. Kostroma Cattle Type

Kostroma is one of the long-lived cattle that have an average duration of 25 years and its breed hardy with a strong constitution as well. According out team choice kostoma is third best cattle for milk in the world.

The average milk yield of a Kostroma cow differs from 3,900 to 5,000kgs.  But in intensive care management systems help to increase the average milk yield can vary from 6,000 to 8,000kgs, even though some Kostroma cattle have been reported to produce about 10,000kgs in a year.

4. Brown Swiss Cattle Breed

Brown Swiss is the second-highest annual milk yielder of all breeds after Holstein Friesians and they can produce up to 9,000kgs of milk per year, with milk of excellent quality. Brown Swiss is famous not only for cattle for milk but also for better cheese production from its milk. As mentioned before, the Brown Swiss dairy breed is the world’s most productive, coming second to only Holstein.

Brown Swiss Cattle Breed
Brown Swiss Cattle Breed; Image: domesticanimalbreeds.com

Brown Swiss cows can actually produce about 9,000kgs of milk per lactation. All are not here milk from Brown Swiss cattle are also good quality and mainly used for cheese production purposes as it contains better butterfat content which is about 4.17% and is high in protein, 3.5%. Its milk is also unique than other breeds in that is has longer fatty acid chains.

5. Swedish Red Cattle Breed

Swedish Red Cattle is commonly known as Swedish Red and White Cattle. It is the most fertile Holstein strain in the world because they have been selecting for fertility since the early 1960s but Swedish Red has also been selecting for fertility, mastitis and health since the ‘60s.

A Swedish Red has calving in an interval of around 397 days. This cattle breed is famous not only for its healthy structure but also for long life as well. The cattle breed produces milk on average 8000 kilograms per year. So we rank it as fifth best cattle for milk. The height of this cattle breed is about 140cm and weight is 600 kg.

6.  Ayrshire Cattle Breed

Ayrshire Cattle Breed is well-known as Dunlop Cattle that is a healthier and stronger breed and easy to rise. So if you didn’t know that Ayrshire cows are one of the most productive dairy breeds in the world, with some Ayrshire cows having been recorded as producing more than 8,500litres of milk per lactation, it is time to know.

Ayrshire cows are commonly well- known for their efficiency to produce an abundance of high-quality milk, sometimes its increase up to10, 000 liters per lactation.

7. Angeln Cattle Breed

This dairy cow is famous for its milk, containing higher milk fat. It is a breed of dairy cattle developed in Germany based on the indigenous brownish red cattle. The fully grown cows may reach about 140 to 145 cm in height and should reach a live weight of 650 kg.

It provides milk about 7570 kg per year. These are the very economic relationship between total feed input and milk yield, high content of milk solids, easy calving, and low calf losses.

8. Guernsey Cattle Breed

Guernsey is another best cattle for milk. Guernsey Cattle breed produces the top percentage of milk of every breed of dairy farm animals. Their milk is famous for its yellow color and better quality. These cows produce high levels of milk using just 65% of the feed that larger cattle may need. The Milk Production of this cattle breed is more or less 7363 kilograms.

Guernsey Cattle Breed
Guernsey Cattle Breed; Photo by Mary Pokatova on Unsplash

9. Milking Shorthorn Cattle Breed

Milking Shorthorn is also commonly known as Dairy-Shorthorn that type of cattle breed is the color with red cattle and white markings, all-white or red roan. The dairy qualities of the Shorthorn are always praised for high yields even some cows produce about 8,000kg of milk per lactation.

Their milk also has a very good ratio of protein against fat. The height of Milking Shorthorn about 150 cm and weight is about 670 kilograms. They also finish early not like others, which is an advantage for farmers to produce in a short time or intense period.

10. Pie Rouge des Plaines Cattle Breed

According to our team the tenth cattle for milk is Pie Rouge Des Plaines Cattle Breeds which are generally known as Lowland Red Pied Cattle that means it was more improved in value and amount than Holstein cattle. Pie Rouge des Plaines cattle are good milk producers as well.  

The Milk Production is about 6900 kg per year and the height is 140cm and weight is 700 kilograms. As well as also their milk is of quite great as quality, comprising about 4.15% fat and about 3.5% protein. Thus these types of cattle breeds are top breeds that produce a better quantity of milk every year which are very useful for every dairy farm.


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