Norwegian Red

Norwegian Red
a red and white Norwegian Red cow on a pasture in front of a lake
A cow
Conservation statusFAO (2007): not at risk[1]: 144 
Other names
  • Norsk Rødt Fe
  • Norsk Raudt Fe
  • Norwegian Dairy Cattle
  • Norwegian Red Cattle
Country of originNorway
Distribution
  • Norway
  • Argentina
  • Netherlands[2]
Usedairy
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    1000 kg[3]
  • Female:
    575 kg[3]
Height
  • Male:
    142 cm[3]
  • Female:
    137 cm[3]
Coatred-and-white, black-and-white
Horn statuspolled or horned
A horned cow
The coat may be black-and-white
A polled bull

The Norwegian Red or Norsk Rødt Fe[4]: 509  is a Norwegian breed of dairy cattle. It was formed in 1961 through successive mergers of various traditional and regional breeds. In 2016 it accounted for approximately 85% of the cattle in the country, and about 99% of the national dairy herd.[5]: 263 

The cattle may be either horned or naturally polled; despite the breed name, the coat may be either red-and-white or black-and-white.[3]

History

The Norwegian Red is a modern composite breed. It was formed in 1961 by merging two existing Norwegian breeds, the Red Polled Eastland or Østlansk Rødkolle and the Norwegian Red-and-White or Norsk Rødt og Hvitt Fe. Each of these two was already a composite breed: the Red Polled Eastland was recorded from 1892 and later underwent cross-breeding with Swedish Red-and-White and Ayrshire, with some influence from the Dutch Black Pied;[6]: 98  the Norwegian Red-and-White, established in 1939, also derived from cross-breeding of Swedish Red-and-White and Ayrshire, but had absorbed the Hedmark and Red Troender.[6]: 88  The Red Troender, in turn, derived from cross-breeding in the nineteenth century of local Troender and Røros cattle with Ayrshire stock; it had later absorbed the Målselv (Målselvfe) breed of Tromsø and northern Norway.[6]: 98  The Dølafe, originating from local cattle of south-east Norway, Telemark (Telemarksfe) and Ayrshire, was merged into the Norwegian Red in 1963.[6]: 46  It was followed in 1968 by the South and West Norwegian or Sør og Vestlandsfe, which had been created in 1947 by fusion of the Vestland Fjord (Vestlandsk Fjordfe), the Vestland Red Polled (Vestlandsk Raudkolle) and the Lyngdal (Lyngdalsfe).[6]: 108 

Norwegian Red used for dairy crossbreeding in Ireland

The Norwegian Red has been used to improve some characteristics of other dairy breeds such as the Friesian.[7][8][9]

Breed characteristics

The Norwegian Red through selective breeding has become an innovative healthy, fertile, and robust cow.It produces well with its diverse breeding goal. The cows and calves of the Norwegian red are both vigorous and healthy. These results can lead to less mortality when compared to other dairy breeds. They have also been known to have better prices when sold to slaughter because of their healthy nature, excellent growth, and muscling.These are important characteristics that have contributed to a climate friendly cow especially when compared to other breeds. This has been done by Norwegian farmers who bred a very sustainable and climate-friendly cow. This was achieved by a productive and forward breeding program.[10]  They on average live longer than most dairy breeds. This breed is known for its calving ease because it was one of the goals farmers wanted when this breed was created.[11]

The Norwegian Red cattle are known for their personality.This is true because in the breeding program breeding animals with a calm personality is key. This is done by only breeding cows and bulls with the desired temperament . [12]

When breeding on average cows are bred and selected for their milking potential, as well as their milk flow and fertility. While bulls are selected because of their performance in a rate-of-growth test. The average milk yield of this breed is about 5,804 kg per lactation. [13]

Norwegian red cattle can be both polled (born without horns) and born with horns. In Norway about 40% of the cattle born in Norway are born polled . The Norwegian Red can be both red and white as well as black and white. This is because the breed carries the black gene rate. Black and red color does not have a major economic effect in Norway which is why the black gene remains the Norwegian Red population since the merger of the local breeds to form the modern Norwegian Red breed in the 1940s. The black gene is dominant to the red gene much like the  Holsteins. Producers who are using the Norwegian Red for crossbreeding outside of Norway have the option of using either red or black sires if color is important to them.[14] Norwegian Red cows weigh about 575 kg or about 1,200 pounds while bulls weigh about 1000 kg or about 2,000 pounds.[15] The average height for a cow is around 135 to 137 cm which is about 4 feet while bulls are on average around 140 to 150 cm which is about five feet tall.[16]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Norsk rødt fe.
  1. ^ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  2. ^ Transboundary breed: Norwegian Red. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Breed data sheet: Norsk roedt fe / Norway (Cattle). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 2024.
  4. ^ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 10 January 2017.
  5. ^ Porter, Valerie; Alderson, Lawrence; Hall, Stephen J. G.; Sponenberg, D. Phillip (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding, 2 Volume Pack. CABI. ISBN 978-1-84593-466-8.[page needed]
  6. ^ a b c d e Valerie Porter, Ian Lauder Mason (2002). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types, and Varieties (fifth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 085199430X.
  7. ^ Heins, B.J.; Hansen, L.B. (February 2012). "Short communication: Fertility, somatic cell score, and production of Normande × Holstein, Montbéliarde × Holstein, and Scandinavian Red × Holstein crossbreds versus pure Holsteins during their first 5 lactations". Journal of Dairy Science. 95 (2): 918–924. doi:10.3168/jds.2011-4523. PMID 22281356.
  8. ^ Begley, N.; Buckley, F.; Pierce, K.M.; Fahey, A.G.; Mallard, B.A. (February 2009). "Differences in udder health and immune response traits of Holstein-Friesians, Norwegian Reds, and their crosses in second lactation". Journal of Dairy Science. 92 (2): 749–757. doi:10.3168/jds.2008-1356.
  9. ^ Ferris, C.P.; Patterson, D.C.; Gordon, F.J.; Watson, S.; Kilpatrick, D.J. (August 2014). "Calving traits, milk production, body condition, fertility, and survival of Holstein-Friesian and Norwegian Red dairy cattle on commercial dairy farms over 5 lactations". Journal of Dairy Science. 97 (8): 5206–5218. doi:10.3168/jds.2013-7457.
  10. ^ "Norwegian Red characteristics". Norwegian Red. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Norwegian Red characteristics". Norwegian Red. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  12. ^ "Temperament". Norwegian Red. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Norwegian Red Cattle - Oklahoma State University". breeds.okstate.edu. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  14. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)". Norwegian Red. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  15. ^ https://www.thecattlesite.com/breeds/dairy/37/norwegian-red
  16. ^ Averdunk, G. (2002). "DAIRY ANIMALS | Minor and Dual-Purpose Bos taurus Breeds". Encyclopedia of Dairy Sciences. pp. 568–576. doi:10.1016/B0-12-227235-8/00109-7. ISBN 978-0-12-227235-6.