Hungarian Grey Cattle

Hungarian Grey Cattle

Hungarian Grey Cattle or Hungarian Steppe Cattle (in Hungarian: Magyar szürke szarvasmarha or Magyar alföldi) are an old beef cattle breed from Hungary [ [http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/hungariangrey/index.htm Oklahoma State University breed profile] ] .

The breed belongs to the group of Podolic cattle [ [http://www.cattlenetwork.net/docs/agri/agri21_4.pdf The Hungarian Grey cattle: a traditional European breed L. Bartosiewicz] ] and is very well adapted to extensive pasture systems. It originates from the Hungarian lowlands.

Characteristics

Hungarian Grey cattle are slender and tall. The bulls reach a height of 145 to 155 cm and a weight of 800 to 900 kg, the cows 135 to 140 cm and 500 to 600 kg.

The colour ranges from silvery-white to . Calves are born with reddish-yellow fur. The Hungarian Greys are robust, unpretentious, easy-calving and long-lived. Their horns are directed upward and are long and curved.

History

The breed probably arrived with the 9th century Hungarian immigration from the east to the Hungarian lowlands. In the middle ages and early modern times the breed was used as a draught animal but from 1861 has been bred for early maturity and its beef quality, being herded live to the markets of Europe. Nowadays Hungarian Grey cattle are kept mainly as tourist attractions in the Hortobágy National Park and other Hungarian national parks. Small herds may be found in a few other places, e.g. Bocfölde,Western Hungary. These herds serve as gene banks, due to their reported resistance to cattle diseases which affect more highly bred cattle types. By 1975 there were only 300 cows left in two herds, but numbers have since increased.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hungarian animals — There are special Hungarian species of domestic animals which are seen as national symbols in Hungary, and there are gene banks Fact|date=May 2007 to ensure their survival, especially in national parks.* Long horn Hungarian Grey Cattle Hungarian… …   Wikipedia

  • List of breeds of cattle — The following is a list of breeds of cattle. Over 800 breeds of cattle are recognized worldwide, some which adapted to the local climate, others which were bred by humans for specialized uses. Breeds fall into two main types, regarded as either… …   Wikipedia

  • Heck cattle — Heck Cattle, also called reconstructed aurochs or auroxen, are a hardy breed of cattle ( Bos taurus ) often referred to by its promoters by the name of Aurochs as the Aurochs is an extinct ancestor of modern cattle.DevelopmentHeck cattle were… …   Wikipedia

  • Culture of Hungary — The culture of Hungary has a distinctive style of its own in Hungary, diverse and varied, starting from the capital city of Budapest on the Danube, to the Great Plain bordering Ukraine. Hungary was formerly (until 1918) one half of Austria… …   Wikipedia

  • National symbols of Hungary — Holy Crown of Hungary The Holy Right …   Wikipedia

  • Composite bow — Reconstruction of a Ming dynasty Kaiyuan bow by Chinese bowyer Gao Xiang. This is a horn, bamboo, sinew composite …   Wikipedia

  • Bocfölde — Infobox Settlement subdivision type = Country subdivision name = HUN timezone=CET utc offset=+1 timezone DST=CEST utc offset DST=+2 pushpin pushpin label position = pushpin map caption =Location of Bocfölde pushpin mapsize = official… …   Wikipedia

  • Ungarisches Steppenrind — Als Ungarisches Steppenrind oder Ungarisches Graurind – im Ungarischen (Magyar) Szürkemarha oder auch Szilaj – bezeichnet man eine alte Hausrindrasse aus dem ungarischen Tiefland, die vom Aussterben bedroht ist. Graukühe in einer Herde im… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • United Kingdom — a kingdom in NW Europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland 1801 1922. 58,610,182; 94,242 sq. mi. (244,100 sq. km). Cap.: London. Abbr.: U.K. Official name, United Kingdom of Great… …   Universalium

  • Gray Wolf — Taxobox name = Gray Wolf fossil range = Late Pleistocene Recent status = LC status system = iucn3.1 trend = stable status ref =IUCN2006|assessors=Mech Boitani|year=2004|id=3746|title=Canis lupus|downloaded=2006 05 05 Database entry includes… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”