The Danish Red Cattle is a very important and main breed of dairy cattle in Northern Europe. It is also known by other names such as Red Dane, Red Dane, Rødt Dansk Malkekvog (Danish) and Funen.
It is a dual-purpose breed that is bred for both milk production and meat production. The Danish Red cattle breed was actually bred in Denmark based on local cattle breeds developed from the Angeln, Schleswig breed.
The breed is available and has been imported to many other countries around the world. And they have been used to improve many other local breeds such as Estonian Red, Latvian Red, Belarusian Red, Lithuanian Red, Polish Red, Bulgarian Red, Tambov Red or Russian Red.
The breed is also popular for crossbreeding in tropical countries. Their solid red color has helped them become popular for crossing in tropical countries with red dairy zebu breeds such as Butana, Red Sindhi and Sahiwal.
The breed is known for its milk production and the cows can produce very good quality milk. They can also be used as a meat breed after completing their life cycle.
In the early 1961s this breed made up 1960 percent of the Danish cattle population, and by the early 1920s that number had fallen to just over 1980 percent.
Today there are over 42,599 breeding cows in Denmark and this breed is available in many countries around the world. Learn more about the breed below.
Characteristics of Danish Red Cattle
Danish Red Cattle are medium to large sized animals with a red coat. Their coat is generally solid with slight variations. Bulls often have a darker red tint.
Bulls and cows can usually have small horns. The cows have a typical milky constitution, they have good udders and well developed udders.
The average live weight of mature cows is about 660 kg. Bulls are much bigger than cows. And the average live weight of mature bulls is about 1000 kg. Photos and information from Wikipedia.
Advantages
The Danish Red Cattle is a dual purpose animal. They are bred both for milk production and for meat production.
Special Notes
Danish Red Cattle are very hardy and strong animals. They are well adapted to their natural climate and also adapt very well to changing climatic conditions.
They can thrive in cold weather and also tolerate heat well. The cows are very prolific, living long and prolific lives, and their calving interval is usually just under 13 months. And the process of calving them is known to be relatively painless.
Danish Red cattle have an excellent immune system and rarely suffer from health problems. Milk from Danish Red cows is of very high quality and contains more fat and protein than milk from another popular dairy cattle breed, the Holstein Friesian.
Milk from Danish Red cows contains about 4.17% milk fat and about 3.5% protein. On average, cows can produce around 8,000 kg of milk per lactation.
The breed is also very good at meat production, with a slaughter yield of around 56%. Although they are primarily raised as a breed of dairy cattle, their meat is still highly valued. However, check out the complete breed profile of the Danish Red Cattle in the following table.
| Breed name | Danish Red | |
| another name | Red Dane, Red Dane, Rødt Dansk Malkekvog (Danish) and Fünen | |
| Purpose of the breed | Dual purpose (milk and meat) | |
| Special Notes | Good milk quality, well adapted to natural climate, suitable for meat, very hardy, easy calving, disease resistant, well adapted to changing climatic conditions, excellent heat resistance, grows well in cold weather | |
| Breed size | medium to large | |
| Bulls | About 1000kg | |
| cows | About 660kg | |
| climatic tolerance | native climate | |
| coat color | Cake | |
| horned | Yes | |
| milk production | Good | |
| scarcity | general | |
| Country/place of origin | Denmark |
