The Bazadaise cattle (also called Bazadais) are a breed of domestic beef cattle from France which are raised primarily for meat production.
It originates in the low-laying areas to the south of the River Garonne near that town. But it takes it’s name from the town of Bazas in the department of the Gironde, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
It is thought that the breed may be the result from inter-breeding of local cattle breeds of Aquitaine with other breeds of Spanish origin.
The Bazadaise cattle breed were previously used as a draught animal. A festival is held each year named the Fête des Boeufs Gras for presenting the fattened Bazadaise stock and their meat.
Meat of these animals is of very good quality and is heavily marbled and renowned for it’s tenderness and flavor.
Total numbers of the breed were many previously, nearly about 60,000 head in 1940. But their total numbers declined rapidly in the years after the Second World War, when mechanization of agriculture and more extensive cultivation of cereal crops in the region.
There were only 700 cows left by 1970, and efforts for recovering and conserving the breed began. Total number of the Bazadaise cattle breed increased gradually and there were about 3,400 cows in more than 140 farms in 2013.
A herdbook for the breed was established on 31 July 1896. Currently the breed is available in many countries and has been exported to Chile, Spain, Australia and the United Kingdom. Read some more information about the breed below.
Bazadaise Cattle Characteristics
Bazadaise cattle are medium to large animals usually with uni-colored grey, with some variations due to age and gender.
Their skin is usually black in color and the muzzle and mucous areas are pale.
Both bulls and cows usually have horns, and their horns are incurved and often down turned. The horns are waxy yellow at the base and usually black at the tips.
Average height of the Bazadaise cows is around 140 cm, and around 145 cm for the bulls.
The mature bulls on average weight around 1000 kg. And average live body weight of the mature cows is about 750 kg. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Uses
The Bazadaise cattle are mainly a beef cattle breed. They are raised primarily for meat production.
Special Notes
Bazadaise cattle are very hardy and strong animals. They were previously used as a draught animal. They were used for hardy tasks such as hauling cut wood from the forest.
But today, the breed is raised mainly for meat production. Their meat is of very good quality and is heavily marbled. Their meat is renowned for it’s tenderness and flavor.
Carcass yield of these animal is very high, and it is some 63-65 percent in bullocks. The breed has been exported to many countries. And the exported stock has been raised both pure-bred and used for cross breeding other cattle breeds.
Currently the breed is available in the Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées areas of France. However review full breed profile of the Bazadaise cattle in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Bazadaise | |
| Other Name | Bazadais | |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly meat | |
| Special Notes | Well adapted to native climates, very good for meat production, hardy, high quality meat, good for draught purposes | |
| Breed Size | Medium to large | |
| Bulls | Around 1000 kg | |
| Cows | Around 700 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates | |
| Coat Color | Grey with black skin | |
| Horned | Yes | |
| Milk Yield | Average | |
| Rarity | Common | |
| Country/Place of Origin | France |
