Guernsey Cattle Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Guernsey cattle breed are a medium sized cattle breed that is famous for the rich milk. They are a calm, docile breed that is easy to manage and maintain as they are very hardy and excellent foragers. They are a good cow for a homestead as they are not too large and have a really good temperament and are easy and fast to milk.

GUERNSEY BREED OF CATTLE QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
The Guernsey cattle breed are known for the rich flavored milk that has a golden-yellow tinge to it.
Country of Origin:	Channel Islands
Other Names:	None
Main Purpose:	Milk
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Can be used for	Breed, Milk
Ideal Climate:	Heat, Cold, Most Climates
Conservation Status:	Listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity: Watch
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Cattle?	Novice to intermediate Cattle farmer/keeper level
Cattle Associations:	American Guernsey Association, English Guernsey Cattle Society and the World Guernsey Cattle Federation
Cattle Clubs:	Please refer to the American Guernsey Association, English Guernsey Cattle Society and the World Guernsey Cattle Federation for more information on the Guernsey Cattle breed
Where to buy them?	>Please refer to the American Guernsey Association, English Guernsey Cattle Society and the World Guernsey Cattle Federation for more information on the Guernsey Cattle breed
Child Friendly?	Livestock should not be left unattended around unsupervised children
General Information:	The Guernsey Cattle breed is one of three cattle breed that originated from the Channel Islands the others were the Jersey cattle breed and the Alderney cattle breed which is now extinct. The Guernsey cow is famous for its rich golden-yellow tinged milk. The milk is that color as it contains a high amount of β-carotene content as well as being high in fat and protein.
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

They are of a medium sized frame with sturdy legs and a blocky body. They have a medium sized rectangular face with a deep indentation between the eyes and a slightly upturned snout. They have medium sized alert ears with brown nosed and feet.

Size:

Medium

CATTLE ⇒	COW	BULL
Breed Color:	Wheat colored (fawn) or red and can be pied with either wheat and white or red and white	Wheat colored (fawn) or red and can be pied with either wheat and white or red and white
Breed Weight:	450 to 500 kgs	600 to 700 kgs
Breed Height:	Unclear	Unclear
Horns:	They do have horns but are mostly dehorned at a young age	They do have horns but are mostly dehorned at a young age
Temperament:	Calm, docile and easy to manage	Calm, docile and easy to manage but bulls must always be handled with care and have a wary eye kept on them
Matures at age:	6 to 8 months or 9 + months	6 to 8 months or 9 + months
Puberty Age:	6 to 15 months	9 to 1o months
Breeding Age:	13 to 15 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	See Cow breeding & Milking Info	Cover 25 to 30 Cows in 1 season

COW BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION
Most Cattle produce milk but not all of them are used in the dairy Cattle capacity for their milk. Cows only calve once a year and should have 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. The Guernsey cow is a very good loving and caring mother that has excellent motherly instincts and will protect her young. She has mostly easy birth with little to no birthing problems and is quite fertile. They are quite a sociable bunch and sometimes aunty cows will be seen standing with another cows calf while they have a few moments of peace.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 6 to 24 hours Most ave. 12 to 16 hours Cows usually come on heat every 21 days.
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days to 24 days Heifer – usually ave. 20 days Cows – usually ave. 21 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 279 to 287 days but most gestation is 283 days. Cows that are carrying bull calf’s their gestation period is usually a little longer than cows that are carrying heifer calves.
No. Calves/Litter:	1 calf at a time. Cows rarely have twins or triplets, but it can happen
Lactation Period:	Cows lactation period can last for up to about 10 months (305) days.
Milking From:	1 to 6 weeks after Calving
Drying off Period:	The cow should have a 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. Drying off period for around 60 days before she can calve again.
Milk Quality:	Excellent, Butterfat = 5%, Protein = 3.7%, β-carotene Quantity: 6000 liters per Lactation period
Milk Ideal for:	Calves
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CATTLE MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Most Cattle breeds can be used for meat and produce an acceptable quality of meat. They are not used for meat production.

Meat Production?

N/A

CATTLE ⇒	VEAL	BEEF
Ave. Maturity Age:	6 to 8 months	9 months up to 4 years

CATTLE SKIN PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Most meat Cattle will have a skin by-product, and these are usually used in some form or just as a hide. They are not used for leather production.

Skin Production?

N/A

Skin is used to Produce:

Calf/cow skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, handbags, belts, furniture, rugs, etc.

CATTLE ⇒	CALF	ADULT
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months for Calf skin	1 to 2 years old for Normal leather

HISTORY

The Guernsey cattle breed was developed in the tiny island of Guernsey which is in the English Channel just off the coast of France.

Robert Duke of Normandy sent a group of militant monks to the island to educate the natives in cultivating the soil and how to defend their land. This was just after the Island had come under siege of sea rovers and buccaneers in around 960 AD.

When the monks when over to the Island they took with them their best bloodlines of French cattle from the province of Isigny these were the Norman Brindles cattle breed which was also known as Alderneys cattle. From the Brittany, they brought the famous cattle breed, Fromenthet du Leon.
It was from these two breeds that the Guernsey cattle was derived.

The Guernsey cattle were first introduced to America by Captain Belair of the Schooner Pilot. He brought 3 Alderney cows with him to the Port of New York in 1840.
Sometime later Captain Prince imported two heifers and a bull from Guernsey and it is from these small herds that the herds found in America today are from.

The American Guernsey Cattle Club was started in 1877 with the purpose of positively identifying, preserving the purity of the breed with correct registration and control. The organization has since their inception registered over 3 million Guernsey’s.

The association is now known as the American Guernsey Association and is the national organization for the registration of all Guernsey cattle as well as responsible for the promotion of the breed. They have introduced many programs in this respect for the advancement of the breed in America.