EXOTIC BREEDS
EXOTIC DAIRY BREEDS
HOLSTEIN FRIESIAN
Physical Characteristics:
Originates from Holland.
Most widely distributed breed of dairy
cattle in temperate zone as well as in
tropical countries.
Holsteins cattle are ruggedly built
Posses large udders.
It has color patterns of black and
white or red and white.
Production Parameters:
Average milk production is 7500 9000 kg with 3.5 % fat
A mature Holstein cow weighs about
550 kg.
Age at first calving is 25-27 months
The normal productive life of a
Holstein is six years.
JERSEY
Body Characteristics:
From Denmark to Australia, from Canada
to South America and from South Africa to
Japan
Adaptable to a wide range of climatic and
geographical conditions
Excellent grazers and perform well in
intensive grazing programs.
More tolerant of heat than the larger
breeds.
The color in Jerseys may vary
 from a very light gray or mouse
color
 to a very dark fawn or a shade that
is almost black.
 Both the bulls and females are
commonly darker about the hips
and about the head and shoulders
than on the body.
Production Parameters:
Average body weight 400 kg.
Average milk production is 6000 kg.
Age at first calving ranges from 23 24 months.
AYRSHIRES
Physical Characteristics:
Ayrshires are red and white, and
purebred Ayrshires only produce red
and white offspring.
Actually, the red color is a reddishbrown mahogany that varies in shade
from very light to very dark
The colors markings vary from nearly
all red to nearly all white.
The spots are usually very jagged at
the edges and often small and
scattered over the entire body of the
cow
They are strong, rugged cattle that
adapt to all management systems
Calves are strong and easy to raise.
Production Parameters:
The Ayrshire is a moderate butterfat
breed.
The actual average of all Ayrshires on
Official DHIR test is over 5500 kg of
milk with a 3.9% test.
Ayrshires respond to good
management and feeding practices
and individual Ayrshire herds average
as high as 8,000 kg of milk.
Top producing Ayrshires holds the
current world record for Ayrshire.
In 305 days, on twice-a-day milking,
she produced 16,900 kg of milk.
Ayrshires are medium-sized cattle
and should weigh over 550 kg at
maturity.
AUSTRALIAN FRIESIAN
SAHIWAL
Physical Characteristics:
The Queensland Government has
developed this breed in Australia.
The breed was evolved using the
Sahiwal a dairy breed of Zebu from
Pakistan, and the Australian HolsteinFriesian.
It has tick resistance and heat
tolerance with reliable milk production
and fertility.
It has now been extensively tested in
the tropical and sub-tropical areas of
Australia.
Under these conditions, it
outperforms the Holstein Friesian by
approximately 15 percent.
Production Parameters:
Average milk yield is 3,000 liters for
mature cows.
Milk quality is good –
protein level is 3.4 percent and
butterfat is approximately 4.0 percent.
AUSTRALIAN MILKING
ZEBU
Physical Characteristics:
In an effort to overcome the problems
of traditional dairy breeds performing
at reduced levels under hot, humid
and tick-infested conditions,
The Commonwealth Scientific &
Industrial Research Organization
(CSIRO) developed the Australian
Milking Zebu (AMZ)
This began in the mid-1950’s with the
introduction of Pakistani Sahiwal and
Red Sindhi dairy cattle,
Mated initially to high-producing
Jersey cattle.
Later, some infusion of Illawarra,
Guernsey and Holstein-Friesian
bloodlines occurred
Selection is for heat tolerance, tick
resistance and milk production
alone.
The AMZ carries the color markings
and general shape of the Jersey,
But also shows the tropical influence
of the Sahiwal and Red Sindhi breeds
through the ability to sweat and
discard ticks from a highly mobile,
loose skin.
Production Parameters:
Mature purebred AMZ cows produce
an average of 2,700 liters of milk over
a 12 months period,
While AMZ cross Friesian cows’
average more than this.
Quality of milk is very high and
protein level is approximately 3.5 to 4
percent.
Crossbred Animals
Performance in Pakistan
Particulars
Age at maturity (d)
Wt at maturity (Kg)
1st calving age (d)
1st calving wt (Kg)
Milk yield (L)
Lac. Length (d)
Dry period (d)
Cal. Interval (d)
S X HF
437
250
770
370
2816
328
151
479
SXJ
416
219
794
340
2191
291
134
425
EXOTIC BEEF BREEDS
ANGUS
Angus are solid black cattle, although
white spot may appear on the udder.
They are resistant to harsh weather,
undemanding, adaptable, and goodnatured,
Mature extremely early and have a
high carcass yield with nicely marbled
meat.
Angus is renowned as a carcass breed.
They are used widely in crossbreeding to
improve carcass quality and milking
ability.
Angus females calve easily and have
good calf rearing ability.
They are also used as a genetic dehorner
as the polled gene is passed on as a
dominant characteristic.
HEREFORD
Hereford is medium framed cattle with
distinctive red body color with the
head and front of the neck, the
brisket, underside, and switch in
white.
They
have
well
developed
forequarters, a deep brisket, broad
head and stocky legs.
Most animals have short thick horns
that typically curve down at the sides
of the head, but there is a polled
strain in North America and UK
(Polled Hereford).
BEEFMASTER
Tom Lasater, developed Beefmasters
by crossing Hereford, Shorthorn and
Brahman cattle. The exact mixture of
the foundation cattle about 25%
Hereford, 25% Shorthorn and 50%
Brahman.
The cattle were heavily selected on
what has become known as the Six
Essentials - Weight, Conformation,
Milking Ability, Fertility, Hardiness and
Disposition.
While brownish-red is the most
common color, the breed has no color
standards.