Until well into the 19th century, only 1 to 5 dairy cows in all kinds of colors were kept on Texel farms. Most cattle were kept for fattening (for meat consumption) and for the breeding of young dairy cattle for the specialized dairy farms in North Holland.

Black-and-white dairy cattle

It was only with the establishment of the dairies around 1900 that special breeding was carried out for milk production. Since that time, the Texel farmers have had an excellent reputation as breeders of black-and-white dairy cattle.

All kinds of colours

From around 1995, as a result of European agricultural policy, a few livestock farmers again switched from dairy cattle to suckler cows/beef cows, and so there were again all kinds of color varieties of cattle on Texel, as you can see in photos and paintings.