The Kerry cows are a rare breed of cows. It believed to be one of the oldest cattle breeds and is a dairy cattle breed. In which it had been popular it was named after the county of Kerry.
The strain is likely descended from the Celtic Shorthorn cattle, brought into Ireland as early as 2000 BC.
The Kerry cows continue to be found grazing in the mountain areas of southwestern Ireland’s mythical pastures.
Kerry cattle characteristics
Kerry cattle are modest sized creatures. They are dairy cows breed that are black in color. The Kerry cows are closely associated with the Dexter cattle that’s a small, dual-purpose breed that originated form the exact identical stock. The strain is completely black with a little white in color .
They have horns that are whitish with dark hints. Dwell bodyweight of the bulls is approximately 450 kg. And the cow’s weight about 400 kg.
Kerry cattle benefits
The Kerry cattle are mainly utilized as dairy cattle. They are compared to their body size. But they are pretty good for meat production.
Kerry cattle are animals. They are very active grazers and browsers. The cows are milkers that are good in comparison to their body size. On average, the cattle can create about 3000 to 3700 kg of milk per lactation.
Milk of those Kerry cows is of good quality. The milk is well suited for cheese production. The globules of butterfat in the milk are smaller than people from most dairy breeds, which makes the milk more readily digestible by people.
The Kerry cattle are known to have a pleasant temperament, and even the bulls are considered to be rather docile in behavior. Along with milk production, the breed is also pretty great for beef production.
History
According to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, the breed was one of the most prevalent in Ireland prior to the 17th century but had been little known outside of the native territory of it.
That the importation of different cattle breeds and crossbreeding led to a population decrease of the strain in their native land.
The breed was imported to the United States in the beginning in 1818 and it prospered through the early 20th century.
However, the Kerry cattle had vanished from North America. And the strain never became popular in the USA. There are just a few critters available in the USA and just a few herds, based on imports in Canada today.
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