The Polish Red cattle are a rare breed of dual-purpose cattle and one of the oldest cattle breeds in Europe. As the name suggests, the Polish Red cattle are native to Poland.
They were established in the late 19th century after red cattle from Germany, Denmark and Sweden were used for improving the various local strains of red Polish cattle. That mixture resulted in the formations of the Polish Red cattle breed. And a herdbook was established for the breed in 1895.
A programme for the genetic resources conservation of Polish Red cattle was started in 1999 for protecting the breed from extinction. Currently the programme is coordinated by the National Research Institute of Animal Production. Today the breed is pretty rare. Read more information below.
Polish Red Cattle Characteristics
Polish Red cattle are medium sized animals with coloration ranging from red to dark red. They have dark claws and nostrils and dark-ended bright horns. They have strong legs and hard claws.
Average body weight of the bulls vary from 500-550 kg. And the cows on average weight from 400-500 kg. Photo and info from European Regional Cattle Breeds and Wikipedia.
Uses
Polish Red cattle are dual-purpose animals. They are used for both milk and meat production. They are also used for draft purposes.
Special Notes
The Polish Red cattle are extremely robust dairy animals. They are easily characterized by good resistance and good health, very good fertility, easy calving, longevity and high viability of calves.
Although they grow comparatively slower than most other cattle breeds. But these animals are noted for their excellent adaptation to the harsh environment.
In case of feeding, these animals are very little demanding, and they are disease resistant. However review full breed profile of this breed in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Polish Red | |
| Other Name | None | |
| Breed Purpose | Milk, meat, draft | |
| Special Notes | Strong, hardy, good milkers, slow to mature, longevity | |
| Breed Size | Medium | |
| Bulls | About 500-550 kg | |
| Cows | About 400-500 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates | |
| Coat Color | Red or dark red | |
| Horned | Yes | |
| Milk Yield | Good | |
| Rarity | Rare | |
| Country/Place of Origin | Poland |
