Livestock Breeds
Beef Cattle
Dairy Cow
Dual Purpose
There are over 70 beef cattle breeds but the most common are:
Angus Hereford/Polled Hereford
Charolais Limousin
ChianinaSimmental
BrahmanBeefmaster
Brangus Santa Gertrudis
Simbrah
Dairy Cattle
Holstein cows can produce 13,000 lb of milk annually . Their milk contains 3.6 butter fat.
Jersey cows are the smallest dairy breed and produce the least amount of milk (10,000 lb annually) but have the highest butterfat, 4.9%
The Guernsey produces about 10,000 lb of milk annually and has a 4.6% butterfat
The Brown Swiss produces 13,000 lb of milk annually with 4.0% butterfat.
The Ayrshire produces around 11,500 lb of milk annually and has 3.9% butter fat
Guernseys and Ayrshires are more common in the north and Jersey and Brown Swiss are more common the south.
Sheep Breeds
Sheep are classified by the type of wool they produce.
There are fine wool, medium wool, long wool , crossbred wool, carpet wool and fur.
The Rambouillet is the principal fine wool breed in the USA. They are the largest of the fine wool breeds.
Medium wool breeds.
Dorset Hampshire Southdown
Suffolk (the tallest of the medium wool breeds)
Crossbred Sheep are developed by crossing long wool breeds with fine wool breeds.
Goat Breeds
There are three types of goat breeds.
FiberDairy (milk)Meat
The Angora is a fiber breed and is covered with long curly hair, called mohair. Over 90% of the Angora goats in the USA are in Texas.
Dairy Goats
Most of the dairy goats in the USA are in California. This is the Nubian
The Alpine
The Saanen: This is the largest of the Swiss breeds
The Toggenburg has two white strips on the face and has white below the knees.
Meat Goats
The South African Boer: This is the largest of the goat breeds in the USA
Swine Breeds
Duroc
Yorkshire
Hampshire Landrace
Polish China
Chester White
Swine are cross bred for body type, feed efficiency, and growth rates, as well as well as for maternal instincts.
Equine Breeds
There are more than 45 breeds of horses and they are classified as light horses, ponies and draft horses.
Light horses
Quarterhorse Thoroughbred
Arabian
Standardbred
Tennessee WalkerAppaloosa
American Paint
Pony Breeds
HackneyShetland
Welsh
Draft Breeds
Belgium
Percheron
Clydesdale!!