The Kerry breed
Kerries are ideal family
cows. They give a reasonable amount of milk and can produce it
from poor pasture that would starve a jersey to death. Extra bull
calves make wonderful beef. Most breeds have
been selectively bred for increased size. Kerries have not been
"improved" like many breeds. They remain small and thrifty. Being
small and easy calving, they are a good cross for first-calf
heifers of other breeds. The small size is a lot less intimidating than
modern cattle. They don't mature as quickly as some breeds. Kerry
milk is similar to goat milk since the fat globules are smaller. The
Kerry is a naturally small cow but is not a dwarf or miniature.
Kerry cows have horns but many owners remove them for safety.
Kerry cows are usually black,
but a red one does occasionally show up. They are a
little taller and slimmer than a Dexter, but generally considered to be
related to the Dexter. Kerry cattle are very
intelligent. They often distrust strangers but grow very close to
their owners.
No purebred Kerry cow should
ever be bred to a non-Kerry bull. To do
so causes the loss of what could have been a purebred Kerry calf. We
cannot afford to loose any. Other more common breeds of cow can
be
crossed with a Kerry bull without losses. The half-Kerry offspring
makes a wonderful Kerry cow. Dexter is an ideal cow to cross with
Kerry bulls since many long-legged Dexters look very much like Kerries.
You should make sure the Dexter does not carry the Chondrodysplasia
gene.
There are presently fewer than a
hundred purebred Kerry cattle in the US and Canada. They are so scarce
that it is very difficult to buy them. A few breeders are
offering to sell embryos and bull calves are available quite
often. Many purebred Kerry cows are not registered since there
has not been an America Association until recently and the Irish
society stopped registration of American animals.
In cooperation
with:
Canadian
Livestock Records Corporation
2417 Holly Lane
Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1V 0M7
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