Raetian gray cattle
The Rätische Grauvieh is a small-framed breed of domestic cattle , which derives its name from the ancient Roman province of Rätia .
Type
Originally, the Raetian gray cattle could be distinguished between a lighter Albula type and a somewhat heavier Oberländer type. The animals often differed considerably both in color and in shape. They were three-purpose animals, that is, suitable as work animals and for milk and meat production. It is smaller and lighter than the Tyrolean gray cattle .
history
The origins of the breed are often traced back to crossbreeding at the time of the Great Migration . Due to the different cultures that came into contact in Graubünden over the centuries, their cattle were also crossed with one another. Up until a hundred years ago, the Rhaetian gray cattle were still common in Graubünden. Around 1920 the breed type disappeared in Switzerland through crossing with Brown Swiss ; However, there were still some animals of the Albula type in the Upper Engadin. Since the breed has been able to survive in Tyrol to this day, animals were introduced into Switzerland on the initiative of ProSpecieRara , so that the breed occurs there again today.
Web links
- Association of Rhaetian Gray Cattle Switzerland RGS
- Raetian gray cattle. Information on the ProSpeciaRara website
Individual evidence
- ^ History of the Raetian Gray Cattle. Association of Rhaetian Gray Cattle Switzerland RGS.