Objectives The reproduction performance and benefit analysis of cow breeds farmed in rural courtyards were studied. Methods 20 farming sites for cows in Babu District in Hezhou City of Guangxi Province were randomly selected and divided into 4 groups, with 5 farming sites in each group. Group Ⅰ was a farming site for local yellow cattle, with a capacity to breed 65 cows on hand. Group Ⅱ was a farming site for local water buffalo, with a capacity to breed 62 cows on hand. Group Ⅲ was a farming site for first hybrid yellow cattle, with a capacity to breed 68 cows on hand. Group Ⅳ was a farming site for first hybrid water buffalo, with a capacity to breed 60 cows on hand. The estrus status, conception rate, litter rate, and benefits of different breeds of cows was recorded under similar conditions of feeding. Results The estrus rate, conception rate, and litter rate in Group Ⅰ were 96.92%, 86.15%, and 84.62%, respectively. The estrus rate of calves weaned 7-120 days after weaning was 90.91% ,the proportion of Group Ⅰ with calving power of 1 was 43.08%, and the total output value was 3.411 5 million yuan, which were all higher than that of Group Ⅱ, Ⅲ, and Ⅳ. Conclusions The local yellow cattle have obvious symptoms of estrus, with the most ideal conception rate, litter rate, and calving ability. They have significant economic benefits and are a good breed for farming in rural courtyards, followed by first hybrid elite yellow cattle, local water buffalo, and first hybrid elite water buffalo.