China Holstein Cattle, formerly known as China Black and White Cattle, was renamed as "China Holstein Cattle" in 1992. It is the main breed of dairy cows in China, distributed all over the country, mainly in northern grassland areas such as Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Xinjiang, and other areas are mainly distributed in urban suburbs and some suburban villages. Holstein cattle are Dutch cattle introduced from abroad for many years, domesticated and cultivated at home, or crossed with yellow cattle all over the world, and gradually formed after long-term breeding. At present, there are about 6 million such cows in China.

There are three physical types of Holstein cows in China: large, medium and small, which are formed by different kinds of Holstein bulls and local cows quoted from different places and different feeding environment conditions. At present, large-scale dairy cows mainly contain American Holstein blood. Adult cows are more than 135 cm in height and 600 kg in weight, and adult bulls are more than 155 cm in height and weight100 kg in weight. Medium-sized cows are mainly bred by introducing medium-sized Holstein bulls from some European countries, and the body height of adult cows is above 133 cm. Small cows are mainly crossbreeded from Holstein cows in some countries and local small cows in China, and the height of adult cows is about 130 cm.

Holstein cattle in China are mostly of milk type, but they are dual-purpose in South China. The coat color is mostly black and white, with distinct flowers and black and white. There are white spots on the forehead, and the bottom of the abdomen, below the knee joint (hock joint) of the limbs and the tail end are white. The body is meticulous and solid, and the body structure is symmetrical. There are angles, most of which bend forward and inward from both sides. The horn is sallow and the tip is black. Breast adhesion is good, texture is soft, breast texture is obvious, nipple size and distribution are moderate.

The milk yield of Holstein cattle in China is not much different from that of foreign countries, but the milk yield of Holstein cattle varies greatly from place to place because of the great difference in feeding management level in different parts of China. In Beijing, Shanghai and other cities with good feeding conditions and high breeding level, the annual milk production of some dairy farms has exceeded 8,000 kg, while in places with poor feeding management, the milk production of cattle is only about 3,000 kg. But most of the milk production is around 5000 kg. The milk fat rate is generally 3.0% ~ 3.4%. See the table below for the body size and weight of China Holstein cattle.

Body size and weight of China Holstein cattle