Happy Dairy Month!!!

June is Dairy Month and since it was a quiet week around the office, I thought I would write about some fun dairy facts this week.  How much of this did you already know???

There are 6 breeds of cows that are considered “Dairy Cows;” Holstein, Jersey, Ayrshire, Guernsey, Brown Swiss and Milking Shorthorn.

o   Holsteins are the most popular cow in the United States. This breed originated in the Netherlands, where the Dutch bred black cattle from the Batavians with the white cattle of the Friesians, forming the known Holstein-Friesian breed. The first Holstein cow made US landfall in 1852 in Massachusetts.

o   Jerseys are the second most common dairy breed and originated from the Isle of Jersey in the English Channel. Jerseys are known for their small, compact size, grazing ability, and the high butterfat content of their milk. They are the smallest breed and can produce up to 13 times their body weight in milk!

The six dairy breeds

o   Ayrshires originated from the County of Ayr in Scotland. They are red and white in color with the red being a bit darker than that of the Guernsey cow. The first import of Ayrshires was believed to be in 1822 in the state of Connecticut.

o   Guernseys are another breed of dairy cattle that is thought to have originated on the Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel.  There is actually little known evidence to know how these cattle even made it to the Isle of Guernsey in the first place. It is suspected that there was multiple other “breeds” of cattle that were crossbred until the Guernsey breed established itself as a breed. These are the lightest red colored breed. In the earliest times, they were known for the rich golden color of the milk.  

o   Brown Swiss originated in Switzerland. The first US Brown Swiss was purchased in 1869 by a man in Belmont, MA.  These cattle are known for the excellent structure of their feet and legs and their overall sound body frame.  Also thought to have a dual purpose for meat, the Brown Swiss was officially declared a “dairy” breed in 1906.  

o   The Milking Shorthorn is considered a dual purpose cow- known for its meat and milk producing capabilities.  Shorthorns originated in Northeastern England and were first imported into the US in 1783. They are a versatile breed that is becoming more popular in the US. It has the darkest red coloring of all the breeds. 

-   A cow’s spots are like fingerprints, no two are the same. 

-   Cows only have one stomach but with 4 compartments; reticulum, rumen, abomasum, omasum. A cow’s rumen (the 2^nd compartment of the stomach) is as big as a 50 gallon drum!

·         Cows will drink up to 35 gallons of water a day depending on the outside temperature and how much milk she is making.  And she will consume that much in only 30 minutes a day!

-  Cows prefer to spend 12-14 hours a day lying down resting, at which time they only spend about 30 minutes truly sleeping. 

-  Cows will eat 9-14 meals a day and during those meals will eat up to 100 pounds of food!

-    Cows make up to 13 gallons of spit a day!

·         If a cow has twins; one female and one male, there is only about a 10% chance that the female will actually have the appropriate reproductive organs and hormones to have a baby herself one day. 

·         Cows have 3 eyelids; one on the top, one on the bottom and one in the corner by the nose.  Only the top and bottom eyelid have eyelashes. 

·         Cows have very poor depth perception. This is why when asking a cow to cross a gutter, they stop, lower their head, and focus on the true depth of the “Grand Canyon” they are about to jump over.

Flight zone of cattle.

·         Even though cows are one of the biggest domesticated species, they have the third smallest red blood cells! Cow red blood cells are smaller than dogs, pigs, cats and horses. They are only bigger than sheep and goats red blood cells. 

·         Because cows have eyes on the sides of their head, they are able to see about 345 degrees around their body. There is only about a 15 degree area, directly behind them, that is considered their “blind spot.”

·         Cows can hear lower volume sounds and higher frequencies better than humans, but are unable to identify the exact source of the noise as easily. 

Cows are such fascinating animals with such amazing abilities. I am so privileged to work with these amazing creatures every day! 

Remember, June is dairy month and July is Ice Cream Month, so having a bowl of your favorite ice cream every day is completely justified!!!!