Red Poll

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Red Poll heifers at the Walcha, Show

The Red Poll is a dual purpose breed of cattle developed in England in the latter half of of the 19th century. They were cross-bred from Norfolk Red beef type cattle and Suffolk Dun dairy cattle. Red Poll are naturally polled, as were their parent Suffolk breed. Norfolk cattle have horns but the gene for polled cattle is dominant. They are deep red in colour, and occasionally have white tails. Red Polls are bred both as meat animals and for milk. The name Norfolk and Suffolk Red Polled cattle was adopted in 1863 and the first standard description was agreed in 1873, with the first herd book compiled in 1874. The breed became "The Red Polled" in 1883, and the Red Poll Cattle Society was formed in 1888^[1]. The cattle had to be red, preferably deep red with white only on the tail and udder. Red Poll cattle are mainly used as beef suckler cows although there are a few milking herds in England. They are known for easy calving and successfully rearing a high proportion of calves^[2]. They do well on poor soils such as the thin sands of parts of East Anglia.

Red Poll cattle were introduced to the United States by G. P. Taber of New York State in 1873.^[3]

These cattle were imported into Australia in the mid 1800s and are now used for beef production. The first identified breeder in Australia was James Graves, around 1870, although there is evidence of earlier herds^[4].

The Red Poll breed was first brought to New Zealand in 1898, but a herd was not established until 1917, when 22 animals were transported from Australia.^[5]

[edit] References

^ Red Poll Cattle Society website History page
^ Breed calf rearing comparisons
^ Department of Animal Science - Oklahoma State University (1996-06-11). Red Poll. Breeds of Livestock. Retrieved on 2006-07-13.
^ ABRI, University of New England (2003-12-22). The Introduction of Australian Red Poll. Retrieved on 2006-07-13.
^ "Red Poll Cattle". Bateman New Zealand Encyclopedia (6th ed.). (2005). Auckland: David Bateman Ltd.. ISBN 1-86953-601-0.