Shorthorn Cattle: Characteristics, Uses, and Full Breed Information

Shorthorn cattle are a dual-purpose breed of cattle that are suitable for both milk and meat production. The breed originated in the 18th century in northeastern England.

Although the Shorthorn cattle breed was bred as a dual-purpose animal, some lines of this breed have always emphasized one quality or another (milk or meat). These different bloodlines diverged over time and two distinct breeds developed in the second half of the 20th century.

These two distinct breeds are Milk short hair and horizontal distribution beef shorthorn. Usually, all Shorthorn cattle are red, white, or roan in color. Some people prefer roan colored cattle, and completely white animals are not common.

But there is a Shorthorn type bred to be consistently white, known as the Shorthorn. white-blooded shorthorn. The White-blooded Shorthorn was developed to be crossed with black Galloway cattle to produce the popular blue roan cross. And this blue roan cross is known as blue-gray.

The original breed of Shorthorn cattle was bred from Durham and Teeswater cows, found mainly in the North East of England. The Colling brothers, Charles and Robert began improving Durham cattle with selective breeding methods in the late 18th century.

Robert Bakewell successfully applied the same breeding methods to Longhorn cattle. Currently, Shorthorn cattle are widely distributed around the world. But they are mostly found in English-speaking countries and South America.

They are mainly found in Zimbabwe, Uruguay, USA, UK, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand, Argentina, Australia and Canada. However, read below for more information on this important English cattle breed.

Characteristics of Shorthorn Cattle

Shorthorn cattle are large animals, usually with a mixture of red, white, or roan coat colors. But there is one type of this breed that is always white. The questioning of animals is generally done in a natural way.

Although some bloodlines may have short horns, as their name suggests. Beef Shorthorn cattle are larger than milking Shorthorn cattle. The structure of the legs and paws of these animals is good, with very few problems.

The average weight of Shorthorn bulls is around 1000 kg. And the cows weigh on average about 800 kg. Photos and information from Wikipedia.

Advantages

Shorthorn cattle were bred as a dual-purpose animal. These are some of the good breeds of dual purpose cattle that are suitable for both milk and meat production. Although some lines within the breed have always emphasized one or the other quality, be it milk or meat.

Special Notes

Shorthorn cattle are very well adapted to a wide range of climatic conditions. They have a long lifespan and this feature helps farmers not to worry about the cost of replacing heads.

When it comes to temperament, Shorthorn cattle are docile and very easy to handle. Their pleasant temperament is ideal for small farmers. They are generally very hardy, have good disease resistance and a good immune system, which is essential for maintaining a healthy herd.

They are very good and natural animals. And they can process food into milk and meat with high efficiency.

Shorthorn cows are very good milk producers. On average, they produce around 8,000 kg of milk per lactation, and their milk also has a decent ratio of protein to fat.

In terms of meat production, Shorthorn cattle are also very good. They are popular for their weight-saving efficiency and suitability for low-power systems. However, check out the full profile of this breed in the following table.

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