Transcript Breeds of Livestock

Animals of common origin having
characteristics that distinguish them
other groups within the same species.
 Most breeds were developed to fit a set
of environmental constraints
-climate, forage, supply, specific,
production goals
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Cattle
-British
-Continental
-Bos Indicus
 General
-Sire breed
-Maternal breed
-Dual Purpose breed
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Sire Breed: fast growing, muscular, late
maturing, low milking
 Maternal Breed: early maturing sexually,
inherently fertile, moderate to heavy
milking, small to moderate size
 Dual Purpose breed
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Heterosis (hybrid vigor): ability of
offspring to out perform the average of
the parents breed
 Complimentary of traits: take
advantage of parent’s desirable traits
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Black, naturally polled, moderate size
 Excellent marbling, early compositional
maturity
 Excellent maternal breed, easy fleshing,
good milk production
 Early maturing sexually
 Largest number of annual registrations in
the USA
 Recessive gene: Red Angus
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Red with white face, also white on
underline, switch, etc.
 Moderate size, adaptable to many
environments, good disposition
 Poorest marbling of the British breeds
 U.S. registry Assn. of Hereford and Polled
Hereford; merged in 1995
 2nd Largest in annual registrations in the
U.S.
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American Brahman is a cross of three Indian
breeds
Both red and gray strains of Brahmans exist,
both have black pigmentation, horned
Noted for heat tolerance, disease and
insect resistance, and crossing ability
Poor marbling ability, and slow sexual
maturity
Brahman composites: Brangus, Santa
Gertrudis, Beefmaster, Braford, Simbrah,
etc.
5/8 Angus and 3/8 Brahman, black and
naturally polled
 Excellent mothering ability, early sexual
maturing, heat tolerance and forage
ability result from crossbreeding
 Most “widespread” composite breed in
the U.S.
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5/8 Shorthorn and 3/8 Brahman, dark
red, both polled and horned
 Developed on the King Ranch in
Kingsville by founder Robert J. Kleberg
 Breed traces back to single sire
 Noted for maternal ability, productivity
under hot, adverse conditions
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Developed by Tom Lasater in the 1930’s
in Texas
 50% Brahman, 25% Shorthorn, 25%
Hereford, composite breed
 No set color pattern
 Developed on the 6 essentials: weight,
conformation, fertility, hardiness,
disposition, and milking ability
 Noted for longevity, hardiness, rapid
growth, and maternal ability
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White/Off White, cream coloration
 Extremely fast growing, muscular breed
 Large framed with relatively heavy birth
weights and large mature size
 Produce lean, muscular carcasses
 Below average maternally, problems
with dystocia
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White coat with black skin pigmentation
 One of the world’s oldest breeds
 Extremely large framed, late maturing
that is fast growing
 Tremendous impact on the “show steer”
industry
 Produce lean, muscular carcasses,
marbling in suspect, “out of the box”
 Not considered a maternal breed
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Reddish gold in color
 Moderate size
 Below average maternally, lack in milk
production
 Produce extremely lean, muscular
carcasses
 Fastest growing breed in the country (%
increase in registrations)
 3rd in annual U.S. registrations
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Long, distinctive horns
Lived as feral cattle for approx. 300 years from 15501850, then we began to drive cattle north for
slaughter (ex. Lonesome Dove
In the 1800s, began to improve Longhorns with British
bulls, by the early 1900s the Longhorn was diluted
nearly to extinction
1927: Dept. of Interior paid $3000 to buy a purebred
Longhorns to be maintained in Oklahoma.
Maintained as a hobby breed
Light muscled breed, low birth weight, excellent
hardiness and known for longevity and ability to
utilize forage
Dominant breed of dairy cattle (over
90% of all commercial dairy cattle)
 Black and white color pattern (red and
white do exist), large frame, easy going
nature
 Unparalleled milk production ability
(20,121 lbs. of milk average in 305 days)
 Lowest percentage in butterfat.
 Butterfat: solids that are used for cheese,
butter, and non-fat dry milk
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Small, refined animal as surpassed
femininity (big brown eyes)
 Light tan to dark brown shades.
 Highest percentage of butterfat
 Many herd in Texas (Bluebell)
 Very heat tolerant than other dairy
breeds, thus popular in the south
 Very fertile and early maturing sexually
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White hair with drooping ears
 Noted for large ears, excellent mothering
ability
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White in color with huge drooping ears
 Most prolific swine breed that is longer
than other breeds because of an extra
vertebrae
 More confinement adaptable than
many other breeds
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“Mother breed”, white erect ears, large
and white
 Noted for large litters, relatively lean
carcasses and good feed conversion
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Reddish brown (range from light red to
dark red) with drooping ears
 Excellent growth rate and feed
efficiency, generally considered a sire
breed
 Tends to be fatter than Hampshire sired
pigs
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Black with a white belt around shoulders,
erect ears
 Known for lean, muscular carcasses,
primarily a sire breed
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Black and white spotted with erect ears
 Extreme muscularity and leanness
 Normally stress positive
 Terminal sire breed
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Dual Purpose
-Dorset
-Columbia
-Corriedale
 Important traits: Meat/Wool
 Sire/Dam breeds
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Most dominant breed in the world wide
sheep industry
 Very fine fleeces
 Merinos are typically smaller than other
wool breeds and slower growing
 Very hardy, long lived sheep with
excellent flocking instinct
 White face breed
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Descended from the Spain Merino, but
larger and faster growing
 Louis XVI purchased 366 Spanish Merinos
from the King of Spain and developed
the Rambouillet at the King’s estate in
Rambouillet, France
 Dominant range ewe in Western U.S and
Texas
 White faced breed that is not extremely
prolific under range conditions
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Developed at the U.S. Sheep Experiment
Station in Dubios, Idaho
Crossbred of Lincoln rams and Rambouillet
ewes
Largest of the crossbred breeds
Coarser wool than rambouillet
Ewes are relatively prolific and productive
(10-16#’s of wool/year)
Lambs are faster growing than Rambouillets
& Merinos
White faced, polled
Horned and polled strains
 Known for ability to breed out of season,
very prolific, and high milking ability
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Sire breed noted for rapid growth and
muscularity
 Face, legs, and ears are dark brown to
black. Should possess a wool cap on
their head
 Hampshire and Suffolk are the two most
popular sire breeds in the commercial
sheep industry
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Most noted for their incredible prolificacy
(mature ewes produce 3+ lambs)
 Noted for milk production, and easy
lambing
 Very poor fleeces and slow growing/light
muscled
 Require intensive management
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One of the oldest sheep breeds,
imported into the U.S. in 1803
 Medium to small sized with light brown
face and legs
 Farm flock breed used to produce meat
 Low maintenance breed with average
prolificacy and milk production
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Very old breed used as a sire breed in
commercial production
 Free of wool on the head and legs
(black)
 Alert, active sheep that grow fast with
lean carcasses
 Ewes are prolific and heavy milking but
produce very poor fleeces
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Produces mohair, a luxurious fiber that
commands a higher price than wool
 Sheared twice a year
 Over 90% of the nations Angora goats
reside in Texas, primarily in the Edward’s
Plateau
 Finest hair ( the world’s most valuable) is
produced by the kid goats with the hair
getting coarser as the goat gets older
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Hardy, fast growing meat-type goat
 Medium size with prominent horns and
broad drooping ears
 Good meat type confirmation with
superior spring of rib, body length, and
muscling
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Term Spanish goat is used in the U.S. to
refer to goats of mixed breed origin
 Kept largely for meat production
 Very prolific and hardy, utilize a great
deal of browse, thus used to clear brush
and clean up re-growth in cleared areas
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Most popular registered dairy breed in
the U.S.
 Noted for high butterfat
 Long drooping ears and “Roman Nose”
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Single comb, white leghorn is the most
prolific egg laying breed
Used as the female line in broiler
production
 Lays brown eggs, are large, relatively fast
growing chickens
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Sire line in broiler production
 Large, fast growing chickens that are
marginal egg producers
 Broad breasted, heavily muscled
 Tougher meat and stronger connective
tissue
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Birds are so heavy and muscular they are
no longer capable of natural
reproduction, also have problems with
leg structure
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1. Which breed of cattle is ranked 3rd in the
annual registration?
2. Which breed of swine is more prolific
because of an extra vertebrae?
3. What two ovine breeds are fine wool
species:
4. Which breed of sheep is the most prolific
breed?
5. Which breed has the higher butterfat &
which breed has the higher milk volume?
6. What is the most popular breed of
dairy goat in the USA?
 7. What percentage of our nation’s
Angora goats reside in Texas?
 8. What are 4 of the 6 essentials
described for a Beefmaster?
 9. Which bovine breed has a recessive
red gene?
 10. Which Texas bovine breed
originated from Spain?
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11. Which poultry breed is the most prolific
egg laying breed?
12. Which breed of poultry is so heavy &
muscular they are no longer capable of
natural reproduction?
13. Which breed of swine is called the
“mother breed”?
14. Which breed of cattle was developed
on the King Ranch by Robert J. Kleberg?
15. Which bovine species has the largest
number of annual registrations in the U.S.?
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16. Which breed of medium wool breeds
has a wool cap?
17. Which breed of swine is normally stress
positive?
18. Which bovine breed has poor marbling
ability but is offset by their ability to thrive in
hot, humid environments, disease/insect
resistant, and crossability.
19. Name two sire breeds & two maternal
breeds.
20. What livestock would you raise and
why?