Breeds

• Common Breeds of Livestock:

  • Swine
  • Goat
  • Sheep
  • Cattle
  • Carabao
  • Horse
• Swine:

  • Goal of swine producer: raise breeding stock and market pigs with rapid, efficient growth and high muscle yield when slaughtered
  • Differences among breeds in economically important traits
  • Considerations for crossbreeding programs: litter size, growth rate, feed efficiency, carcass length, leanness, and muscle
• Yorkshire/Large White:

  • Origin: Yorkshire, England
  • Description: white color, erect ears, slightly dished face
  • Characteristics: large litters, high feed efficiency, rapid growth, good mothering ability, long carcasses
• Landrace:

  • Origin: Denmark
  • Description: white color, long-bodied, ears lop forward and down
  • Noted for mothering ability and large litters
  • Weak legs, commonly affected by porcine stress syndrome (PSS)
• Duroc:

  • Origin: eastern United States
  • Description: red color, ears droop forward
  • Characteristics: good mothering ability, growth rate, feed conversion
  • Often used as boar lines
• Berkshire:

  • Origin: England
  • Description: black with six white points, slightly dished head, erect ears
  • Highly valued for meat quality
• Hampshire:

  • Origin: England
  • Description: black with a white belt, erect ears
  • Noted for muscle and carcass leanness, popular breed used in crossbreeding programs
• Hereford:

  • Origin: Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska
  • Description: red with a white face, forward drooping ears
  • Characteristics: prolific, good mothers, good rustling ability
• Pietrain:

  • Origin: Pietrain, Belgium
  • Description: white with black spots, medium-sized, erect ears, muscular hams
  • High lean-to-fat ratio, desirable in genetic improvement programs
• Poland China:

  • Origin: Ohio counties of Butler and Warren
  • Description: black with six white points, forward-drooping ears
  • Characteristics: low back fat, large loin eyes, used in many crossbreeding programs
• Philippine Native Pig:

  • Description: black or black with a white belly, varieties include Ilocos and Jalajala
  • Characteristics: very prolific, low feed conversion ratio, early sexual maturity
• Goat:

  • Angora
  • Boer Goats
  • Pygmy Goats
  • French Alpine
  • Nubian
  • Saanen
  • Toggenburg
• Angora:

  • Origin: Turkey
  • Description: horned, long, thin, drooping ears, white color
  • Mature bucks weigh 56.7 to 79.4 kg, does weigh 36.3 to 40.8 kg
  • Fleece called mohair
• Boer Goats:

  • Origin: South Africa
  • Description: white with red head, horned, Roman nose
  • Mature males weigh 108 to 172 kg, females weigh 90 to 120 kg
  • Prolific breed
• Pygmy Goats:

  • Origin: African origin
  • Description: small size, various colors, considered a meat goat
  • Provide small amounts of high-quality milk
• French Alpine:

  • Origin: France
  • Description: color ranges from white to black, erect ears, short-haired
  • No dewlap, may be bearded or not, some polled and some have horns
• Nubian:

  • Origin: Africa
  • Description: any color, long, drooping ears, Roman nose
  • Does are beardless, bucks weigh 79.4 to 81.6 kg, does weigh 58.9 to 61.2 kg
  • Average milk production is 1,300 to 1,500 pounds per year
• Saanen:

  • Origin: Switzerland
  • Description: white or light cream color, erect ears, tuft of hair over the forehead
  • Usually polled, bucks weigh 83.9 kg or more, does weigh 61.2 kg or more
  • Average milk production is 1,800 to 2,000 pounds per year
• Toggenburg:

  • Origin: Switzerland
  • Description: color varies from light fawn to dark chocolate, ears white with dark spots
  • Average milk production is 680.4 to 725.7 kg per year
• URG Origin: Switzerland

  • Color varies from light fawn to dark chocolate
  • Ears are white with dark spots in the middle
  • Two white stripes down the face from the eye to the muzzle
  • Legs and rump are white
  • Ears are erect; may or may not have wattles
  • Usually polled, although some may have horns
  • Bucks weigh 68 to 79.4 kg, does weigh 45.4 to 61.2 kg
  • Average milk production is 1,500 to 1,600 pounds (680.4 to 725.7 kg) per year
• PHILIPPINE NATIVE GOAT

  • Small, stocky, and low-set
  • Color ranges from white or black or a combination
  • Weighs about 20-30 kg at maturity
  • Primarily raised for meat and seldom for milk
• SHEEP

  • Ways to classify sheep include by type of wool
  • Wool type classifications: fine wool, medium wool, long wool, crossbred wool, carpet wool, fur sheep, hair sheep
• MERINO

  Origin: Spain

  • Rams may be horned or polled, ewes polled
  • Medium in size with angular bodies
  • Strong banding instinct and can thrive on poor grazing land and in all types of climate
  • Ewes are exceptional mothers
  • Wool demands high prices worldwide and is called the "Golden Fleece"
• RAMBOUILLET

  Origin: France

  • White in color with angular, blocky body type
  • Produce a meatier carcass than Merino
  • Horned and polled rams, all ewes polled
• DEBOUILLET

  Origin: United States

  • Medium-sized with angular body; white in color
  • Rams may be horned or polled, ewes polled
  • Smooth body with long-staple wool produced
• CHEVIOT

  Origin: Cheviot Hills of northern England and southern Scotland

  • Small with blocky body type
  • White face and legs, black nostrils
  • Does not have a strong flocking instinct
• HAMPSHIRE

  Origin: Southern England

  • Large with blocky body type
  • Black face, legs, ears, and nose; polled
  • Medium maturation rate, good milkers, produce market-ready lambs
• OXFORD

  Origin: South-central England

  • Large with blocky body type
  • Gray to brown face, ears, and legs; polled
  • Prolific ewes, good milkers, quick-growing lambs
• SUFFOLK

  Origin: Southern England

  • Large with blocky, muscular body type
  • Black face, ears, and legs; polled
  • Rapidly growing lambs with lean, muscular carcasses
• TUNIS

  Origin: North Africa

  • Reddish-brown to bright tan face
  • Polled, medium size with angular, blocky body
  • Coarse wool, no wool on the face
• COTSWOLD

  Origin: England

  • Large with blocky body type
  • White face and legs, grayish-white color acceptable
  • Long, wavy curls of coarse wool, polled
• ROMNEY

  Origin: Southern England

  • Large, hardy breed with blocky body type
  • White and polled, produces compact, fine fleece
  • Better adapted to wet areas, used in crossbreeding programs
• COLUMBIA

  Origin: United States

  • Large, blocky breed, largest of crossbred wool breeds
  • White face, ears, and legs; polled
  • Lean market lambs, used in crossbreeding programs
• CORRIEDALE

  Origin: New Zealand

  • Medium-large, blocky breed
  • White face, ears, and legs; polled
  • Good-quality wool and acceptable carcass
• BLACK-FACED HIGHLAND

  Origin: Scotland

  • Small size with long, coarse outer coat and finer undercoat
  • Rams have large, spirally curved horns, ewes have small, short, curved horns
• KARAKUL

  Origin: Asia

  • Large, angular-bodied breed
  • Black or brown face, ears, and legs
  • Rams have horns, ewes polled
  • Used for fur pelts from young lambs
• BARBADOS BLACKBELLY

  Origin: Barbados

  • Medium to thick hair coat that sheds in spring
  • Coat colors include brown, tan, or yellow with black underparts and points
  • Rams have thick hair on the neck, increased resistance to internal parasites
• ROMANOV

  Origin: Russia

  • Black head with white on the poll, black legs
  • Ewes have high lamb crop percentages
  • Vigorous lambs, light-muscled carcasses
• Beef Cattle:
• Angus:

  • Official name: Aberdeen-Angus
  • Origin: Scotland in the shires of Aberdeen and Angus
  • Description:
  • Black in color with a smooth hair coat and polled
  • Alert, vigorous, and perform well in the feedlot
  • Produce a desirable carcass of high-quality, well-marbled meat
  • Some carry a recessive gene for the red color, leading to red Angus offspring