Belgian Red Cattle
Encyclopedia
The cattle breed Belgian Red is a breed from Flanders
in Belgium
. The breed is in danger of extinction.
There are two lines in this breed: a dual-purpose breed and a meat breed.
Bulls: weight => 1,200 kg; height => 153 cm
Cows: weight => 700 kg; height => 138 cm
. In the 19th century, through crossing with Shorthorn
, the new breed was developed out of the local breed of the region. In 1920 a stud book was introduced.
In 1986 there were still about 50,000 Belgian Red cows, but the population decreased rapidly. In 2001 there were less than 100 cows left.
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The breed is in danger of extinction.
Characteristics
The animals are unicoloured red with potentially a few white spots on head, chest, abdomen and legs.There are two lines in this breed: a dual-purpose breed and a meat breed.
Bulls: weight => 1,200 kg; height => 153 cm
Cows: weight => 700 kg; height => 138 cm
Performance
The milk performance of the cows in 1986 was about 5,000 kg milk with 4.03 % milk fat content and 3.35 % protein.History and extension
The breed's original region is FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. In the 19th century, through crossing with Shorthorn
Shorthorn
The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late 18th century. The breed was developed as dual purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however there were always certain blood lines within the breed which emphasised one quality or the other...
, the new breed was developed out of the local breed of the region. In 1920 a stud book was introduced.
In 1986 there were still about 50,000 Belgian Red cows, but the population decreased rapidly. In 2001 there were less than 100 cows left.