The Illawarra Shorthorn or Illawarra is an Australian

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

dairy cattle Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species ''Bos taurus''. Historically, little distinction was mad ...

. Its origins are not documented, but it is thought to derive from

crossbreeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, and

Dairy Shorthorn The Dairy Shorthorn is a British breed of dairy cattle. It derives from the Shorthorn cattle of Tees-side, in the North Riding of Yorkshire and in Northumbria (now divided between County Durham and Northumberland) in north-eastern England. The ...

. The name Illawarra was abbreviated from the earlier Australian Illawarra Shorthorn, and named after

Illawarra, New South Wales The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongon ...

.Stephens, M (''et al.''), ''Handbook of Australian Livestock'', Australian Meat & Livestock Export Corporation, 2000 (4th ed),

Conformation

Illawarras are horned, large-framed cattle of a predominantly red colour, with some whites or roans (mix of red and white) .

Production

Illawarras produce large quantities of high butterfat and protein milk. In an official test in 1998, Illawarra cows averaged 4,829 litres of milk, with slightly over 4%

butterfat Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain. Composition Butterfat is mainly composed of triglycerides. Each triglyceride contains three fatty acids. Butt ...

and 3.4% protein, under Australia's pasture production system. According to the 2010 Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Report, the average production of an Illawarra cow is 6733 litres with a butterfat content of 3.95% and a protein level of 3.29%.

Temperament

Illawarras are very docile cows that are noted for their longevity. They make good handling cattle for shows and are easy to work with in the dairy.

Adaptability

Illawarras can stand weather exceeding 40°C and below freezing. They make the most out of feed and do not need much supplementary feeding. This adaptability under a variety conditions has contributed to the growth of the breed.

Exports

Illawarra cattle, embryos, and semen have been exported to

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, Japan,

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, Canada, the

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, New Zealand, the

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, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

References

External links

Illawarra Cattle Society Australia

Illawarra
{{Authority control Cattle breeds originating in Australia Dairy cattle breeds Cattle breeds