What is the best dual purpose cow?

1. 79

   clairemyposted 13 years ago

   What is the best dual purpose cow?
   
   Which English breed is best for both meat and milk?

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2. 0

   whowasposted 13 years ago

   I wouldn't like to say definitively as my only direct experience with livestock for meat and milk is with goats (British Toggenbergs) but I think you could start your research with Devon Cattle. They're quite hardy, stocky, red-haired beasties who make for good meat but produce more milk on average than primary beef stock. They're common in America now but were originally brought over from England (I'm guessing the county of Devon - also home to the port of Plymouth (from where the Pilgrim Fathers sailed) way back in the seventeenth century, with the early settlers.
   I hope that helps.

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3. 79

   clairemyposted 13 years ago

   Thankyou for answering and I am assuming you mean theSouth Devon.

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      whowasposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, exactly. Big beasts, as I said, so you'd need to know what you were doing with them but I imagine a short search would turn up a wealth of literature on the subject as they are such a popular breed.

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4. 67

   WildRoseBeefposted 13 years ago

   Clairemy, there are two types of Devon cattle: there's the Devon (also known as the North Devon) and the South Devon.  Both are two different breeds, so try not to confuse one for the other or vice versa.
   
   As for the answer to your question, there are a whole list of possible English/British breeds that are great for and have been used as dual-purpose stock:
   
   Red Poll
   English Longhorn
   South Devon
   Devon
   Kerry
   Dexter
   Belted Galloway
   Gloucester
   Irish Moiled
   Sussex
   
   Really, what you consider the "best" dual purpose breed is depends on what you're land area is, whether your into the heritage breeds or rare or endangered breeds, and what kind of colouration or lack there of you like.
   
   Thus, IMO there really is no such thing as a best breed since all have their pros and cons and particular things that a person likes or doesn't like about them.

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   1. 79

      clairemyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thankyou for that list, and am I correct in supposing that at least one of those is a rare breed?

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      whowasposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hi WildRoseBeef, thanks for the clarification about Devon breeds and for taking this up so informatively. As I said, I've no direct experience with cattle and I'm glad that someone better informed has stepped in to help out Clairemy with her enquiry!

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   3. 67

      WildRoseBeefposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Clairemy, I think that depends on where you live.  In the US, according to the ALBC, the Milking Devon is listed as critical and the Devon as recovering. In Canada, either Devon nor South Devon are listed. RBST lists none of the Devon breeds.

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5. 78

   sallieannluvslifeposted 13 years ago

   My husband grew up on a dairy farm and he suggests that you look up the Milking/Dairy Shorthorn.  They are a breed of cattle that originated in North Eastern England and have been known to be used for their milk and their meat.

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