Guernsey beef
The Guernsey cattle is a breed of cattle from the Channel Island of Guernsey . It is a dairy breed with pale to brown fur. She is particularly known for the extraordinary taste of her milk and also for her hardness and good nature. In the UK, the breed is on the watch list of the UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust .
milk
The unique qualities of Guernsey milk made the breed world famous. It is golden yellow in color and has a very high beta-carotene content, which is reputed to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. The milk also has a very high fat content (5%) and a high protein content of 3.7%. In relation to their body mass, Guernsey cows produce more milk than any other breed of cattle: around 8,000 liters per cow per year.
origin
The breed was bred on the Channel Island of Guernsey . It is believed to be descended from two breeds of cattle imported from France : the Isigny cattle from Normandy and the Froment du Léon from Brittany . The Guernsey cattle were first mentioned as an independent breed in 1700. In 1789, imports of foreign cattle into Guernsey were prohibited by law in order to preserve the purity of the breed. Even so, some cattle evacuated from Alderney during World War II were incorporated into the breed.
The export of cattle and semen was temporarily an important economic factor on the island. Large quantities of Guernsey cattle were exported to the United States in the early 20th century . Today the breed is well established in the UK , US, Canada and elsewhere as well.
Data
The cows weigh between 450 and 500 kg, a little 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 notable advantages over other breeds for the dairy farmer, including disease resistance, high milk production, calving ease, and longevity.
credentials
- Anon (2004), The Guernsey Cow - Background and History .
- Luff, WG de L. (2004). A Short History of The Guernsey Breed .
- Spahr, LS and Opperman, GE (1995). The Dairy Cow Today: US Trends, Breeding & Progress Since 1980 , 2nd ed. USA, Hoard's Dairyman Books.
- WGCF (The World Guernsey Cattle Federation), (2006). Advantages of the Guernsey .
Web links
- The American Guernsey Association
- English Guernsey Cattle Society
- The World Guernsey Cattle Federation
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rare Breeds Survival Trust watchlist ( memento of the original from September 7, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed June 7, 2015
