The Aubrac cattle are a breed of domestic beef cattle which are raised mainly for meat production. It is a very old breed from France with about 150 years of breeding history.
It was decided to open a herdbook in 1893, after centuries of breeding selection by French monks. It was the golden age of the breed.
The Aubrac cows spent their winter in the farm and gave birth to calves. And they used to go to the mountains at the end of spring where rich grass and flowers were highly available. The young bulls were bred and raised in at the farm to become draft oxen.
There were about 300000 Aubrac cattle available at the end of the 19th century. But popularity of the breed and oxen declined at the end of Second World War.
Popularity of highly productive dairy cattle breeds increased after the 1950s, and milk was more cheaply produced by new breeds like Holstein and Braunvieh cattle.
The Aubrac cattle are now used mainly as a meat cattle breed, because their milk production niches is now filled by other cattle breeds. Currently total population of the breed is approximately 10,000, and around 3000 heads are inscribed in the French studbook.
There are about 2,500 animals available in Germany and nearly half of them inscribed in a studbook. Read some more information about the breed below.
Aubrac Cattle Characteristics
Aubrac cattle are medium sized animals. They are usually tan in color, with darker on the nose and eyes and circled with white. Their skin is generally of black color. Both bulls and cows usually have horns.
Their horns are relatively large in size and are of lyre shaped. They have short but strong legs, and the bulls have black hair around the shoulder area.
They are medium tall, the cows reach around 130 cm at the withers and around 140 cm for the bulls.
The mature Aubrac cows on average weight about 600-750 kg. And average live body weight of the mature bulls vary from 900-1,100 kg. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Uses
Aubrac cattle are actually a dual purpose animal. They are good for both milk and meat production.
Special Notes
The Aubrac cattle are very hardy and strong animals. They are a tough breed of cattle with high resistance to diseases and illness . The have very high longevity and are also known for easy calving. Along with meat production, the breed is also very good for the production of milk.
The cows on average can produce up to 2,180 kg of milk per lactation. Milk of the Aubrac cows is of pretty good quality containing about 4.13 percent of fat.
The animals are well adapted to the local tough climates, and they can thrive very well when fed from poor quality pastures. They can store energy in times of plentiful food, and then can reserve the energy for tougher times.
The cows are very fertile and can produce many calves throughout their lives.
The Aubrac cattle are relatively of very good behavior and they are actually very popular for their gentle temperament. The cows are excellent mother and they can well protect their calves.
However, review full breed profile of the Aubrac cattle in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Aubrac | |
| Other Name | None | |
| Breed Purpose | Milk and meat | |
| Special Notes | Well adapted to native climates, very good for meat production, hardy, good for milk, good quality meat, very fertile, good quality milk, disease resistance, longevity, easy calving | |
| Breed Size | Medium to large | |
| Bulls | Around 900-1100 kg | |
| Cows | Around 600-750 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates | |
| Coat Color | Generally tan with darker on the nose and eyes and circled with white | |
| Horned | Yes | |
| Milk Yield | Good | |
| Rarity | Common | |
| Country/Place of Origin | France |
