Milking Shorthorn

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The Milking Shorthorn is a breed of dairy cattle that originated in Britain. It was used for beef for many years, and only in the more recent centuries did the Milking Shorthorn split off from the shorthorn family and become more focused milk producers. Sizeable populations of Milking Shorthorns (also known as Dairy Shorthorns or Dual-Purpose Shorthorns) are present in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The breed has served as the foundation for other red dairy breeds, such as the Illawarra or Aussie Red, Swedish Red and Norwegian Red. Illawarra are mostly Milking Shorthorn and are part of the Milking Shorthorn international registry, although Ayrshire cattle and some other dairy cattle were incorporated into the formation of the breed.

The Milking Shorthorn is known as an efficient dairy breed, requiring fewer input costs. They normally have improved fertility, structural soundness, calving ease, and animal health than the Holstein breed. In most countries the Milking Shorthorn breed is regaining popularity after decades of decline in favour of Holstein-Friesen cattle, due to the efficient cost of production that the breed exemplifies.

Milking Shorthorns are an average sized breed, with cows averaging 55 inches tall at the tailhead as a mature cow, and weighing 1400-1500 lbs. They are all red, red with white markings, all white, or roan. Average production for the breed is approx. 7000 kg of milk in 305 days, with 3.8% butterfat and 3.3% protein. The largest population is the Australian Illawarra population, followed by the American Milking Shorthorn population.