Best dairy breed for cold weather?

[fivecardstudpts]

I live in Maine, and am looking into getting one or two dairy cows. I was wondering what the best breed would be for the weather. I would prefer to get a heritage breed if possible, but am willing to look into anything.
Thanks
Jessica

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Canadienne is one, though you may have to go across the border to purchase one.

Most dairy breeds around northern USA and into Canada are suited for cold weather. The Holsteins and Jerseys can develop some pretty thick coats in the winter, same with Brown Swiss, Ayrshires, Guernseys, etc.

 

[77Herford]

Canadienne is one, though you may have to go across the border to purchase one.

Most dairy breeds around northern USA and into Canada are suited for cold weather. The Holsteins and Jerseys can develop some pretty thick coats in the winter, same with Brown Swiss, Ayrshires, Guernseys, etc.

Canadienne's are nice from the two I've ever seen at the fair. If you want heritage I would think about Milking Devon's, Dexter's, Dutch Belted, Red Poll, and Lineback's.
There are other larger breeds but I don't know if this is just for a large family or for a small business.
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/milk_yields.pdf
http://www.albc-usa.org/heritagecattle/breeds.html

 

[clarmayfarm]

Honestly, cows are built for cold weather. Swiss are likely the most cold hardy, with Holstein being a close second. There are lots of all the dairy breeds in Canada.

If you want milk cows for a volume of milk, stick with Holstein, Swiss, or Jersey. A well bred Holstein or Swiss will give 60-100 lbs of milk daily if fed well (grain, hay, silage), and a Jersey a little less than that, with higher butterfat. The Heritage breeds are nice, but you will be looking at 10-15 lbs of milk each day.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

I'm not sure where you are in Maine. However, a suggestion would be to look around your area and see what other farms have. Jerseys, Gurnseys and Holsteins are all pretty common in the part of Maine where we live. Wishing you the best in your search!

 

[minimoo86]

We live in Maine and have a really nice herd of Registered Holsteins. They aren't really affected by the cold winter months, even though they are housed in free stall barns. But they do grow a "winter coat" in some sense