Finnish Ayrshire
Encyclopedia
The Finnish Ayrshire is the most common cattle
in Finland
(74%). The breed stems from the importation of around 1600 Ayrshire cattle
from Scotland
and Sweden
from 1847-1923. The Finnish Ayrshire is bred with the Swedish Red Cattle
(SRB) and local Norwegian cow breeds to breed the Norwegian Red
, which is the dominant breed in Norway
. Semen is therefore imported from the Finnish Ayrshire to use for Norwegian Reds. In 2008, just one Finnish Ayrshire was used as the father of all Norwegian Reds.
Finnish Ayrshires are most often horned and red-brown, with a calm disposition. Annual milk production can be up to 7400 kg, with 4.36 % fat and 3.36 % protein. The average living weight is 540 kg for grown cows.
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
(74%). The breed stems from the importation of around 1600 Ayrshire cattle
Ayrshire cattle
The Ayrshire cattle is a breed of dairy cattle originated from Ayrshire in Scotland. The average mature Ayrshire cow weighs 1,000-1,300 pounds . Ayrshires have red markings. The red can be an orange to a dark brown, with or without coloured legs. They are known for low somatic cell counts,...
from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
from 1847-1923. The Finnish Ayrshire is bred with the Swedish Red Cattle
Swedish Red Cattle
Swedish Red Cattle, also called Swedish Red-and-White Cattle, are a dairy cattle breed from Sweden that originated from English Milking Shorthorn dairy cattle and Scottish Ayrshire cattle. They are a robust and resilient, well known for their calving ease, fertility, udder health, and longevity...
(SRB) and local Norwegian cow breeds to breed the Norwegian Red
Norwegian Red
Norwegian Red is a breed of dairy cattle developed in Norway. Often shortened to simply NRF, it has a red and white or black coat...
, which is the dominant breed in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Semen is therefore imported from the Finnish Ayrshire to use for Norwegian Reds. In 2008, just one Finnish Ayrshire was used as the father of all Norwegian Reds.
Finnish Ayrshires are most often horned and red-brown, with a calm disposition. Annual milk production can be up to 7400 kg, with 4.36 % fat and 3.36 % protein. The average living weight is 540 kg for grown cows.