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 The
Guernsey cow is known for producing high-butterfat, high-protein milk with
a high concentration of betacarotene. Being of intermediate size,
Guernseys produce their high quality milk while consuming 20 to 30 percent
less feed per pound of milk produced than larger dairy breeds.The Isle of Guernsey, a tiny island in the English Channel off the coast of France, is the birthplace of the Guernsey cow. About 960 A.D., Robert Duke of Normandy and a group of monks brought the best bloodlines of French cattle to the island - Norman Brindles, also known as Alderneys, from the province of Isigny and the famous Froment du Leon breed from Brittany - and developed the Guernsey. Introduction of the Guernsey to America occurred around September 1840, when Captain Belair of the Schooner Pilot brought three Alderney cows to the port of New York. Later, Captain Prince imported two heifers and a bull from the Island. These animals were the original stock of a great majority of the Guernseys that make up the national Guernsey herd today.
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