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Breed: Ayrshire:
- Ayrshires are red-and-white.
- The red can range from light to mahogany to almost black.
- The red is contained in small, jagged spots.
- The number of spots can range from a few, as shown in the cow
below, to covering the whole cow.
- Ayrshires also have a long, straight face.
- They have a wedgy body shape underneath, with a long, level back
(or topline).
- The Ayrshire is a practical breed because it consistently produces
a fairly rich milk under almost any conditions.
- Ayrshires have excellent grazing ability and can adapt to
a wide variety of weather conditions.
- The Ayrshire breed started in the southwest Scottish shire of Ayr.
- The original cattle were probably scrub and Teeswater cattle.
- Over time other cows were introduced.
- By the end of the 1700s, the Ayrshire's characteristics were
almost those of the modern Ayrshire.
- The breed was formally recognized in 1814.
- The first Ayrshires were imported into Connecticut in the late 1800s.
Source:
A Field Guide to Cows
, by John Pukite,
Falcon Press, Helena, Montana, pp. 58-58.
Photo from
Forest Park.
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