Danish-Red

Danish Red cattle constitute the most important and major dairy cattle breeding in Northern Europe. Danish Red is also known in different names such as Red Danish, Rødt Dansk Malkekvog (Danish) and Fünen. It is a dual-purpose breed that is bred for both milk and meat production. Danish Red cattle breed was actually developed in Denmark based on the local cattle race husbanded with Angeln and Schleswig Angeln cattle breeds. The breed is available and imported into many other countries around the world. It was also used to develop several other local breeds such as Estonia-Red, Latvia-Red, Belarus-Red, Lithuania-Red, Poland-Red, Bulgaria-Red, Tambov-Red or Russian-Red.

The breed is also popular in terms of hybridization in tropical countries. Their dark red colors have made them popular in hybridization with the red Zebu dairy breeds in tropical countries such as Butana, Red Sindhi and Sahiwal. The breed's milk production is remarkable and its cows can yield very good quality milk. Moreover, after completing their useful life, they can be used as a beef breed. This breed accounted for 61 percent of all the cattle stocks of Denmark in the early 1960s, this rate was declined to slightly more than 20 percent in the early 1980s. Today, there are more than 42,599 breed cows in Denmark, and this breed exists in many countries around the world. Below is more information about the breed.

Danish-Red is famous for the quality milk they produce. Their milk has more milk fat (around 4.1%) and protein (around 3.5%) than Holstein Friesian.

Features

Danish Red cows with flat red color typically weigh about 660 kg and mature bulls (usually darker in color) weigh about 1000 kg. Calves are born between about 36 to 40 kilos. Cows are highly productive, long-lived and fertile. The calving process is relatively smooth and the calving intervals are slightly below 13 months.

Danish-Red cattle are bred as resistant to diseases. Their good immune systems indicate that they suffer scarcely from health problems, for example, their mastitis resistance is very good.

Danish-Red cattle are durable and compatible; they can live in both hot and cold regions. Danish-Red cattle are successfully hybridized with other cattle breeds, and many of the breeds that were bred recently such as Belarus Red, Bulgarian Red, and Estonian Red have been quite popular.

Although it is mainly cultivated as a dairy breed, the meat of the Danish Red is also well accepted (the slaughter yield is usually around 56%).