10 Largest Cattle Breeds, You Need To See To Believe
They say size matters but does it?
Well, there are different ideas on this so let’s not discuss all of that and restrict
ourselves to cattle.
Now why do people domesticate cattle?
While there can be many reasons for this, the two major are milk and meat production.
Keeping this in mind, you’d OBVIOUSLY prefer the larger breed because hello, more meat!
Now before you run to get the biggest of them all, remember that they have their own limitations
and each one is suitable to different climates and needs.
So are you ready to scrutinize the biggest cattle breeds?
Number 10.
Bazadaise This French breed of beef cattle takes its
name from the town of Bazas in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
A festival, the Fête des Boeufs Gras, is held each year in Bazas to present fattened
Bazadaise stock.
Now that’s interesting!
Rising to 140cm in height and weighing somewhere around 750-1000kg, Bazadaise is certainly
huge!
They were traditionally a draught breed but are now raised majorly for beef, we guess
it’s the size that has changed this!
Number 9.
Limousin Named after the Limousin region of France
where this breed originated, the Limousin cattle are a breed of highly muscled beef
cattle.
Back in the 1960s they were exported from France in huge numbers and today it is present
in about 70 countries!
They range from 650-1100kg in weight which is huge but an amazing thing is that they
have low birth weights which makes calving easier, a major reason for their popularity!
Cool, right?
Number 8.
Parthenaise Formerly a triple-purpose breed, raised for
milk, meat and draught work, the French cattle, Parthenaise is now raised mainly for beef.
It is named after the town of Parthenay in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of western France.
With a height of about 150cm together with a weight range of 800-1000kg, the cattle are
not small by any means!
Once the oxen are done with their working lives, they are fattened up and slaughtered!
Number 7.
Montbéliarde These red and white pied cattle breed from
the Montbéliard region of France is used mainly for dairying and particularly for cheesemaking.
They have short horns and are about 145cm tall, impressive!
Talking about their weight, it ranges from 900-1200kg and thus definitely makes it to
this list!
Would you believe us if we told you that a single cow produces 7,486 liters of milk annually?
We have enough reason to bring this one our cow shed!
Number 6.
German Angus This German breed of cattle came into existence
as a result of cross breeding Aberdeen Angus with different native German cattle breeds
like German Black Pied Cattle, Gelbvieh, and Fleckvieh.
The good news is that it is bigger and heavier than the original breed and has higher weight
gains.
You know what that means, right?
Yes, more meat!
With a weight range of 600-1200kg, it doesn’t come as a surprise that it is used for beef
suckling in addition to vegetation management!
The height is not small either, somewhere around 140cm.
That’s a good catch!
Number 5.
Belgian Blue It’s time for a special mention and Belgian
Blue is our pick!
These beef cattle from Belgium have an extremely lean, hyper-sculpted, ultra-muscular physique
which is termed as “double-muscling”.
It is a heritable condition resulting in an increased number of muscle fibers, instead
of the (normal) enlargement of individual muscle fibers.
This mutation also interferes with fat deposition, resulting in very lean meat.
Another problem is with calving which becomes difficult due to huge birth weight!
But surely an interesting breed, so no missing it out!
Number 4.
Glan This traditional cattle breed is particularly
found in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany.
It’s interesting how they were once extinct but have risen to the number of 2000 in the
present day!
Originally multipurpose, nowadays they are mainly used for beef production.
The reason is definitely its weight that ranges between 600-1200kg.
With a height of about 140cm, these cattle aren’t small by any means!
Anyone planning to give a loving home to this one?
Number 3.
Maine-Anjou This French breed of domestic cattle, Maine-Anjou
was created in the nineteenth century by cross-breeding the local Mancelle dairy cattle with Durham
stock from Britain.
Interesting!
Their weight ranges from 850-1500kg with height being in the bracket of 140-170cm.
It was formerly a dual-purpose animal, raised both for meat and for milk, but is now principally
a beef breed.
You don’t need us to tell you why this changed, their weight, OBVIOUSLY!
Number 2.
South Devon The largest of the British native breeds,
South Devon have descended from the large red cattle of Normandy.
The breed is exceptionally adaptable to varying climatic conditions and is presently well
established on five continents.
But that’s not why it is on the list, right?
They generally weigh somewhere between 1200-1600kg but one individual was recorded to have reached
a whopping 2000kg!
Rightly called the Gentle Giant!
Number 1.
Chianina Originated in Italy, Chianina is found in
different parts of the world today.
Interestingly the tallest and heaviest cattle breed in the world is also one of the oldest!
On an average their height is 155-170cm but can reach to 200cm as well.
Their weight ranges from 800-1500kg and going by the higher side, it really is massive!
Would you believe us if we told you that this breed can grow at a rate of 2kg per day?
Enough reason to choose it for beef production!
Which of these cattle breeds fascinated you the most?
Tell us in the comment section below.
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