There are many breeds of cows in Australia but the main dairy cattle breeds are Holstein Friesian, Jersey and Aussie Red, all of which have different shapes and colours.
Holstein cows originally came from the Netherlands, but many breeding animals now come from North America. These cows are mainly black and white.
Holstein cows are the most popular in the world.
Of Australia’s 1.7 million dairy cows there are 1.4 million Holstein cows.
Holsteins can be found in every Australian state, Victoria has the most.
Holstein cows produce large quantities of milk; some cows produce 10,000 litres in a year; that’s equal to 5000 x 2 litre milk cartons every year or 14 x 2 litre cartons every day.
Holsteins are one of the biggest dairy animals; cows can stand over 150cm tall and weigh over 600kgs while bulls stand over 180cms tall and weigh over 1000kg (about the same as a small car).
Jersey Cows originally came from the island of Jersey (in the English Channel between England and France). They were bought to Australia in 1829.
These cows are fairly small, and fawn in colour, with black tips on their muzzles, ears, feet and tail.
A Jersey cow’s milk is ideal for making butter because it is so creamy
Jerseys are the smallest of all dairy cows and can weigh up to 500kg.
Jersey’s are the second most common breed in Australia.
These cattle were bred in Australia by combining Scandinavian Red genetic lines with other Australian Red breeds such as the Illawarra and Ayrshire.
These cows are medium-sized and mainly red in colour, with white markings.
Aussie Reds are an extremely hardy breed. Their milk has a high protein content and medium milk fat content.
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