Breeds of Cattle

Beef Breeds
Common Beef Breeds:

Hereford
Angus
Shorthorn
South Devon
 Hereford
White face red coat
Very hardy
Polled
High quality meat
with marbling
Excellent mothering
Docile
Highly fertile and
calve easily
 Angus
Solid black colour
Naturally polled
Hardy, undemanding,
and adaptable
Mature in 2 years
High carcase yield
Marbling
Calve easily and good
mothers
 Shorthorn
Long to medium horns
Have been farmed for
both meat and milk
Medium size
Docile and easy to
handle
Good calving and
mothering
Meat is lean but
marbled good flavour
Crossed with other
breeds
 South Devon
Docile and easy to
handle
Used for crossing with
other breeds
Highly fertile, easy
calving, and good
mothering
Adapts to temperature
extremes
Good at converting
grass to meat
Exotic Breeds

Limousin
Charolais
Simmental
Saler
Belgian Blue
 Limousin
Medium sized and well
muscled
Golden brown coat
Mature early
High quality carcase
and high meat to bone
ratio
Polled
Efficient feed converters
 Charolais

Colour varies from

white to light straw
Docile which allows for
high feed conversion
rates
Large size, heavily
muscled
Lean meat give high
dressing out
percentages
Companies pay a
premium
Tolerates heat well
 Simmental

Red and white spotted or

gold and white.
White face
Horned
Easy to handle, hardy
High and long term fertility.
Bulls common as terminal
sires often mated with
Hereford and Angus
Good mothering and milk
yield
Fast growing can mature in
12 months
Excellent converters of grass
to meat
 Saler
Black and polled
Excellent foragers on
rough pastures and hay
in winter
Thick coat in winter
makes them hardy
Strong legs and feet
can hadle rough ground
without feet problems
Excellent mothers and
calving
 Belgian Blue
Used as terminal
sires for passing on
double muscle gene
Very lean meat with
high meat to bone
ratio.
 Terms used in Breeding
Terminal sire male used in
breeding for meat breeds
Maternal cattle cows used
for producing dairy breeds
Bull adult male
Calf young cattle not
weaned
Heifer female cow not
mated
Steer castrated male
Bullock same as steer
Bobby calf male or female
calves reared for meat
Store cattle young stock
not yet fattened
Freemartin twins born with
defects that make them
infertile
Springing cow pregnant
cow about to give birth
Teaser bull neutered bull
but can still mate
Nurse cow used for rearing
calves
Dry cow cow not
producing milk
 Steers and Bulls

Not castrated for breeding Castrated to make more docile and put on
weight on hind quarters