Shorthorn
Fertility - Locomotion - Longevity
Shorthorn cattle are found to have multiple breed purposes.
- Beef
- Dairy
- Whitebred
- Red
- Roan
- Blue Roan
I have decided to split Beef and Milking, as I feel it would be represented better in this manner.
The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late 18th century. The breed was developed as dual purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however there were always certain blood lines within the breed which emphasised one quality or the other. Over time these different lines diverged and by the second half of the 20th century two separate breeds had developed – the Beef Shorthorn, and the Dairy Shorthorn. All Shorthorn cattle are coloured red, white or roan, although roan cattle are preferred by some, and completely white animals are not common.
History
The breed developed from Teeswater and Durham cattle found originally in the North East of England.
Docility
The docility of the breed is exceptional and allows large numbers of cattle to be managed with ease.
Shorthorns are recognized for lacking any instinct to kick or adopt aggressive behaviour when handled in yards or in a paddock environment. Naturally docile cattle means a safer working environment for people of all ages.
Docility is an extremely important factor in the production of high quality beef as a strong genetic correlation exists between temperament of cattle and the most important characteristic of meat quality, tenderness. Nervous behaviour of cattle, which is highly heritable, causes loss of liveweight and poor meat quality.
Shorthorns are recognized for lacking any instinct to kick or adopt aggressive behaviour when handled in yards or in a paddock environment. Naturally docile cattle means a safer working environment for people of all ages.
Docility is an extremely important factor in the production of high quality beef as a strong genetic correlation exists between temperament of cattle and the most important characteristic of meat quality, tenderness. Nervous behaviour of cattle, which is highly heritable, causes loss of liveweight and poor meat quality.