What are the Characteristics to breed into a milk cow as compared to a beef animal?

Answer 1

There are many differences between cattle and horses:

Cattle:

• Blocky body
• Heavier, broader and thicker neck
• Have dewlaps
• Have cloven hooves with dewclaws
• Head is wider, broader and heavier than horses
• Cattle use their heads to fight each other; cows can't kick, bite or rear up like horses can, instead they use brute strength to master each other over kicking and biting like horses do
• Tail switch is long with a little tuft of hair on the end
• Tend to have a much straighter top-line than horses
• Hold their head level with their top-line
• Males and females easier to distinguish than with horses
• Can be generally tougher and less delicate than horses are
  • They are known to survive in tough conditions, and still are raised as such on ranches that require cows to be able to thrive in tough conditions.
• Shorter, "stubby" and bigger legs
• True ruminants, with four-chambered stomach
• Ears on the side of the head, not on top
• No incisors on the top jaw
• Males not born with canines or cuspids
• Shorter gestation period (only 9 months long)
• Four quarters in the udder, unlike mares with only 2 udder halves
• Walk at a slower pace
• Wider muzzle, inflexible nose and lips, nose has sweat glands on it
• Able to have horns or not
• Bulls' penis is housed at on the middle of the belly; longitude of testes perpendicular to underbelly, and often hang down low
  • The penis comes at a tip, similar to the writing-end tip of a pen or pencil
• Cows go in heat on a pre-determined schedule, bull present or not
• Cows eat by wrapping their thick rough tongue around a mouthful of grass, pulling it in, biting it, then swallowing.
• Cattle feces are in large pats (called cow-pies) with a lot less defined plant particles in it;
  • Cattle are more efficient herbivores than horses
• Reach sexual maturity faster (heifers reach puberty at 15 months of age: a filly not until she's around 2 years of age)
• Mixed herd structure, ability to have more than one bull in the herd without much fighting
• Slower and less agile than a horse is
  • Not so if you have to get away from an angry bull or momma cow!
• Considered primarily as livestock because they are commonly used for meat or milk.
• Harder to train because of lesser intelligence, and thus harder to gain trust and respect from such animals.

Horses:

• No dewlaps
• No horns
• Uni-hoof (or single toe) with no dewclaws present
• Longer, thinner legs
• Finer, arched neck
• Ears set on top of head, often smaller, and a bit more flexible than cattle ears
• Finer body, not as blocky as cattle are, with smoother lines.
• More curved top-line, with more defined withers than cows
• Tail comprised of many long hairs that often start from the base of the tail to the ground
• Presence of a mane of hair, often different colour (as well as tail) from the rest of the body except in sorrels and most pintos and paints
• Incisors found on top and bottom of the mouth
• Males born with canines or cuspids
• Kick with both their hind feet, bite, nip and rear when fighting or playing
  • ability to lay ears back flat against their heads
• Mares have 11 month gestation period and a less predictable parturition schedule than cows do
• Flexible, tender nose and lips
• Often holds head higher than rest of body
• Mares "wink" when in heat, cows don't
• Mares often begin estrus when in presence of a stallion
• Stallion's penis is tucked in between the back legs; longitude of testes parallel with underline and don't hang as low as bulls do
  • Penis is similar to a human male's with a "stubby" head at the tip. Bulls lack this.
• Horses graze by gathering grass by the lips then chopping it off with their incisors
• Pseudo-ruminants, with huge ceca on the large intestine instead of a four-chambered stomach
  • To extract enough nutrition from grass they must eat virtually non-stop
• Feces is large and round often with large plant particles
• Reach sexual maturity slower than cattle (filly reaches puberty at ~24 months of age, whereas a heifer will reach puberty between 12 and 18 months of age, depending on the breed)
• Much more intelligent than cattle are, and thus tend to get themselves in more trouble than cattle!
  • Enables the ability for people to gain the trust and respect of the horse to be trained to ride and to work or participate in various equine events that tests a horse and rider's skills. Horses can be easily trained to jump for show jumping, rope, herd livestock, or do various tricks for entertainment.
• Most people do not wish to think of a horse as a source of food. Much different story with cattle.
• Four gaits: walk, trot, canter and gallop. Cattle only have three: walk, trot and gallop.
• Prone to spook and stampede more than cattle, especially if not trained
• Herd structure comprises of several mares with one stallion. Other stallions not with a herd of mares form a bachelor herd.
  • If more than one stallion is in with a herd of mares, there will be LOTS of fighting, often until one stallion is either killed or too injured to fight any more. A stallion will also not stand to have a gelding in his herd either, unlike a bull would with steers.
  • Mare usually the boss of the herd: stallion acts as a source of protection
• Horses are lighter, faster and prefer to flee than fight.
• Less hardy and more delicate than cattle are
  • Except for feral horses and wild mustangs, horses are "spoiled" much more than cattle are.
• Considered primarily a companion animal, not livestock.

This is a case where a picture is worth a thousand words. See links below.

Answer 2

The main difference is dairy cattle are used for milk production and beef cattle are made for beef production.

Dairy cows are tall with thin bodies, usually produce 20-40 kg of milk per day, usually get used for hamburger once they no longer produce milk, and can live to be about 7-10 years of age.

Beef cattle are usually shorter than dairy cows, can weigh between 1000 to 2000 lbs at maturity, usually slaughtered at a year for meat production, and can live for 15-17 years of age.