Red cattle

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Race key
RHV 71

After 1984, a number of old, robust, single-colored red domestic cattle breeds were grouped together as Red Höhenvieh , which were found in the low mountain ranges from Lower Saxony to Bavaria, as well as in Poland and the Czech Republic, and which only barely escaped extinction . According to the German Cattle Traffic Ordinance, she has the breed code RHV 71.

description

Red cattle

The hair color is red, reddish brown to dark brown. The Rote Höhenvieh was a typical robust and resilient low mountain breed that goes back to the Celts . In older literature, the breed is also referred to as Celtic cattle . In addition to robustness, frugality and fertility, good constitution, longevity, calving ease and good maternal characteristics as well as excellent meat quality have been and are ascribed to the breed.

The cows have a weight of approx. 500 to 700 kg with a height at the withers of 130 to 140 cm, the bulls with a height of 135 to 145 cm a weight of 750 to 950 kg.

The Rote Höhenvieh was a classic three-purpose cattle. It delivered milk and meat and performed tensioning services for plowing, pulling wagons and even for backing wood , which is why there were underperformances in milk and meat output; it was not competitive with performance breeds specialized in milk or meat production.

  • Pictures of the Roter Höhenvieh

  • Young bull

  • Newborn calf

  • Winter festival

  • Winter fun

On the history of the breed

The intensification of animal husbandry and breeding led to a displacement of the red high cattle since the 1930s. By crossing the monochrome red Angler cattle , a red lowland cattle , the milk yield was increased. The last pure-bred high altitude bull was used for breeding until 1964. Purebred animals no longer exist today. In Germany today the highly bred Red and Black Holstein dairy cattle and various beef cattle races dominate.

Since the 1980s, associations have been looking after the preservation of these old cattle breeds, also as a genetic reserve for further cattle breeding. Since the preservation of the individual races was not possible due to the small size of the population , their remnants were combined.

Lots that led to the Rote Höhenvieh are (although the exact list varies from author to author):

Since the 1990s, the breed has been listed as the "Red Height Cattle" in several herd books of German breeders' associations. The population has now grown back to over 600 animals. Today the breed is mainly used in suckler cow husbandry and in landscape maintenance (see “ Grazing projects ”). The animals are frugal and can therefore also be used in areas otherwise unsuitable for grazing. The animals produce meat of excellent quality.

In 1997 the Rote Höhenvieh was declared "Endangered Livestock Breed of the Year" by the Society for the Preservation of Old and Endangered Domestic Animals (GEH).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jörg Bremond: The red high cattle . In: Society for the preservation of old and endangered domestic animal breeds eV (Ed.): Online brochure focus - cattle . Alsfeld 1994 ( online [PDF; accessed October 17, 2014]).
  2. ↑ Leithiger: The Vogelsberg cattle and its breeding . Emil Roth, Gießen 1896 ( Online [ ZIP ; 11.0 MB ; retrieved on October 17, 2014] With two chrome panels and a map of the breeding area concerned; 50 pages).
  3. ↑ Bernd Müller: The Vogtland Red Cattle . In: Society for the preservation of old and endangered domestic animal breeds eV (Ed.): Online brochure focus - cattle . Landwüst 1994 ( online [accessed October 17, 2014]). Saxon State Ministry for Environment and Agriculture (Ed.): Vogtländisches Rotvieh . Bos primigenius taurus (=  biological diversity in Saxony ). 1st updated new edition. April 2011 ( Online [PDF; 1.3
     MB ; accessed on October 17, 2014] 20 pages).
  4. ↑ a b Michael Schlag: cows with character . Club anniversary 25 years of the Rotes Höhenvieh in Hessen. In: Agricultural weekly paper . Landwirtschaftsverlag Hessen GmbH, Friedrichsdorf ( online [accessed October 17, 2014]).
  5. ↑ M. Bunzel-Drüke, C. Böhm, G. Finck, R. Kämmer, E. Luick, E. Reisinger, U. Riecken, J. Riedl, M. Scharf, O. Zimball: Wilde Weiden - practical guide for year-round grazing in Conservation and landscape development. Sassendorf-Lohne: Working Group on Biological Environmental Protection in the Soest District (ed.), 2008. Page 82.

Web links

Commons : Rotes Höhenvieh  - Collection of images, videos and audio files