Guernsey cattle

The Guernsey cow is a breed of cattle from the Channel Island of Guernsey. It is a milk- emphasized race with pale to brown fur. It is especially known for the extraordinary taste of her milk and also for their hardness and good nature.

Milk

The unique qualities of Guernsey milk made ​​the breed famous. It is golden yellow in color and has a very high beta -carotene content, which is reputed to reduce the disease risk of certain cancers. The milk also has a very high fat content ( 5%) and a high protein content of 3.7%. Guernsey cows produce relative to their body mass more milk than any other breed of cattle: about 8,000 liters per cow per year.

Origin

The breed was bred on the Channel Island of Guernsey. It is believed that they descended from two breeds of cattle that were imported from France: the Isigny cattle from Normandy and the Froment du Léon from Brittany. For the first time the Guernsey cow was mentioned in 1700 as a separate breed. 1789 imports of foreign cattle were prohibited by law to Guernsey in order to maintain the purity of the breed. Nevertheless, some flowed from Alderney during World War evacuated cattle in the race with a.

The export of live cattle and semen was temporarily an important economic factor of the island. In the early 20th century large quantities of Guernsey cattle were exported to the United States. Today the breed is well established in the UK, the U.S., Canada and elsewhere.

Data

The cows weigh 450-500 kg and slightly more than Jersey cows. The bulls weigh between 600 and 700 kg, which is very small for domestic cattle - but they can be surprisingly aggressive.

The Guernsey cow has many remarkable advantages, including their resistance to disease, their high milk production, calving ease and longevity for the dairy farmers of other races.

Credentials

Anon (2004), The Guernsey Cow - Background and History. Luff, W. G. de L. ( 2004). A Short History of The Guernsey Breed. Spahr, S. and L. Opperman, G. E. (1995). The Dairy Cow Today: U.S. Trends, Breeding & Progress Since 1980, 2nd ed USA, Hoard 's Dairyman Books. WGCF ( Guernsey Cattle Federation The World ) (2006). Advantages of the Guernsey.