Milking Shorthorn
A North American dairy breed, red, roan or white, sometimes hornless
The Milking Shorthorn is a dairy breed kept in Canada and the United States, with its background in Britain's Dairy Shorthorn. Cows and bulls may be red, white, red and white, or roan, and the breed includes naturally hornless animals.
- A North American dairy breed kept in Canada and the United States
- Coat colours are red, white, red and white, or roan
- Some animals are hornless; a polled sub-type exists in the breed
- Cows weigh about 680 kg and bulls about 998 kg
- The Coates Herd Book opened in 1822 with 850 cows and 710 bulls
What do Milking Shorthorn cattle look like?
A dairy breed of North America, the Milking Shorthorn is kept in Canada and the United States. Its coat may be red, white, red and white, or roan, a mix of red and white hairs that gives a soft mottled look. Animals may carry horns or be naturally hornless, and a polled sub-type sits inside the breed. Bulls are heavy at about 998 kg; cows weigh around 680 kg. It belongs to the taurine line of cattle, subspecies taurus, so it has no hump. In build and colour it stays close to the Shorthorn family it comes from.
Where does the Milking Shorthorn come from?
The Dukes and Earls of Northumberland kept good short-horned cattle on their Yorkshire estates by the late 1500s. Serious selection began late in the 1700s in County Durham, where Charles and Robert Colling worked from the methods of Robert Bakewell of Dishley in Leicestershire. In the early 1800s Thomas Bates of Kirklevington, now part of Stockton-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, bred for milk using stock bought from the Collings. George Coates opened a herd book in 1822 with 850 cows and 710 bulls; the Shorthorn Society of Great Britain and Ireland took it over after forming in 1874. Bates's herd was sold off in pieces in 1850, which widened interest in cattle of this kind.
What the Milking Shorthorn is known for
The breed's story is one of separate development: it was shaped for milk in North America while the Dairy Shorthorn of Britain went its own way. A polled sub-type exists within it, so some animals are born without horns. It is not the same population as the Milking Shorthorn of New Zealand, which is part of the Dairy Shorthorn group. Much of the breed today carries some cross-bred blood, and the animals least affected by crossing are the ones set aside for conservation.
How the Milking Shorthorn is bred and kept
The Coates Herd Book, opened in 1822, was the breed's first register, and a herd book for all Shorthorns followed in the United States in 1846. American breeders formed the American Shorthorn Breeders' Association in 1882, then a Milking Shorthorn Club in 1912 and the American Milking Shorthorn Society in 1948. Selection has leaned towards milk rather than beef. Over time much of the stock was crossed, leaving only a small number of pure-bred cows. In 2016 about 15,000 cows were registered in the United States, but fewer than 1,000 of them were pure-bred.
Milking Shorthorn, drawn
What the Milking Shorthorn is kept for
The Milking Shorthorn is a dairy animal. Cows are milked and registered through the dairy side of the Shorthorn world, and it was dairy selection that separated this population from the beef Shorthorns. When Shorthorns were first shipped across the Atlantic in 1783 they included both beef and dairy animals, and the dairy line became the Milking Shorthorn. The Milking Shorthorn Club, set up in 1912, and the American Milking Shorthorn Society, formed in 1948, both grew out of that dairy interest. Some cattle of this type are also held as a rare line, with the least cross-bred animals listed for conservation.
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
In the United States, no population figures have gone to DAD-IS since 2013, when the count was just under 2,800 head. The 2016 estimate put the total at 25,000, including 15,000 registered cows, of which under 1,000 were pure-bred. Canada reported more than 3,500 head in 1990; by 2022 the reported total was 182, made up of 178 cows, with 8 pure-bred. The Livestock Conservancy lists the least cross-bred animals as Heritage Shorthorn (Native) and calls them threatened. FAO judged the breed not at risk in 2007, while DAD-IS in 2026 put it at risk/critical.
Questions people ask about Milking Shorthorn
Where does the Milking Shorthorn come from?
It is a North American breed, found in Canada and the United States. Its background lies in the Dairy Shorthorn of Britain, while selection in North America went its own way, so the two are no longer the same cattle.
What is it kept for?
Milk. It is the dairy branch of the Shorthorn family, and cows are registered through dairy societies set up in the twentieth century. Shorthorns that first crossed the Atlantic in 1783 included beef animals too, but the milking line is the one kept for the dairy.
What colours and horns does it have?
Red, white, red and white, or roan, which mixes red and white hairs across the body. Some animals carry horns and some are naturally hornless, because a polled sub-type exists within the breed.
How many are left?
In the United States the 2016 estimate was 25,000 head with 15,000 registered cows, though fewer than 1,000 were pure-bred. Canada reported 182 animals in 2022, of which 8 were pure-bred.
Is it the same as the New Zealand Milking Shorthorn?
No, they are separate populations. The Milking Shorthorn of New Zealand is counted within the Dairy Shorthorn group, while the North American breed is treated as distinct from it.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Milking Shorthorn (North America)", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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