Red Poll
The Beef Breed with Milk
The Red Poll is a dual-purpose breed of cattle developed in England in the latter half of the 19th century. The Red Poll is a cross of the Norfolk Red beef cattle and Suffolk Dun dairy cattle breeds (both of these breeds are now extinct). The parent Suffolk breed was also polled; Norfolk cattle had horns, but the gene for horns was bred out in the Red Poll breed. The original name for the breed, adopted in 1863, was Norfolk and Suffolk Red Polled cattle, and the first standard description was agreed upon in 1873, with the first herd book compiled in 1874. The breed became the Red Polled in 1883, and then Red Poll in 1888, when the Red Poll Cattle Society was formed.
The cattle are red, preferably deep red with white only on the tail switch and udder. They are naturally polled (without horns). Red Poll cattle are mainly used as beef suckler cows, although a few dairy herds are found in England, as well as in the United States in the state of Texas. They are known for easy calving and successfully rearing a high proportion of their calves. They are sometimes used for conservation grazing.
The cattle are red, preferably deep red with white only on the tail switch and udder. They are naturally polled (without horns). Red Poll cattle are mainly used as beef suckler cows, although a few dairy herds are found in England, as well as in the United States in the state of Texas. They are known for easy calving and successfully rearing a high proportion of their calves. They are sometimes used for conservation grazing.
Characteristics
- Efficient converter of forage requiring little or no additional feed
- Easy calving
- Long lived thus fewer replacements needed
- Will calve to any terminal sire
- Will out winter, however cold and wet, if properly fed
- Excellent quality beef
- Naturally polled
- Calm and easy to handle
- Excellent mothers
- Will adapt very well to either extensive (and organic) or intensive systems
Breed Standards
COLOUR:
Colour must be red, deep for preference. A sandy colour is an objection though not a disqualification. White markings are permissible on females on the udder attachment only, and on males on the extreme upper part of the scrotum. A white or silver-hared brush of the tail is permissible.
SIZE:
Males: Skeletal or frame size should be medium to large. With good height, a balancing length and adequate body capacity is required together with depth of rib, substantial bone and a symmetrical leg size to fit this body. Females: Skeletal size should be comparative to the male, with ample scale for age (not coarse) with plenty of length and width, particularly from hips to back.
HEAD:
Masculine and strong in the male, feminine and refined in the female. Head should be broad, of moderate length, and slightly dished. The eyes should be full, wide apart, well hooded and placid; the nostrils wide and open; the jaws should be wide, deep and strong (not undershot or overshot). The poll should be well defined with ears well set on the head and of medium size. There should be no evidence of horns or scurs.
NOSE:
The nose should be flesh coloured. Should it be black this is a disqualification. Any blue nose along with any black or blue spots constitute an objection according to their size.
THROAT:
Clean and free from excessive loose skin.
NECK:
Males: of medium length, muscular, with moderate crest, spreading out to meet the shoulders. Females: Female's shoulders should be smooth and sloping, well filled behind and not open at the top.
CHEST:
Obvious, but not excessive, broad and clean with minimum of loose skin.
RIBS:
Well sprung from backbone, neatly joined to crops and loins, bones well covered. Rumps long from hip to pin bone, broad level and full. Pin bones should be set wide apart.
HINDQUARTER:
Full, thick and muscular showing greatest thickness through stifle area.
TAIL:
Should come neatly out of the body and hang at right angles to it.
LEGS:
Forelegs well apart and straight with strong cannon bone of moderate length and with muscular forearm. Hindlegs slightly inclined forward below the hocks with clean strong flat bone. Hocks correctly set, strong and clean cut. Legs should be well placed on the corners of the body and relatively wide apart. Length of leg to be in proportion to size and length of the animal.
FEET:
Feet should point straight ahead, with short straight toes of equal size and deep heels.
FLESHING:
Deep, smooth and firm, without patchiness, with smooth even fat cover.
SKIN:
Soft, loose and pliable of moderate thickness covered with good quality fine hair.
SHEATH & SCROTUM:
Should not be loose or pendulous. Testicles of moderate to large even size, and hanging freely without twist, with well developed rudimentary teats in front of the scrotum.
UDDER:
Should be well developed, being long from front to rear, wide and deep, but neither pendulous nor fleshy. It should be firmly attached, extending up behind and forward in front. The quarters should be even, the sole level with no excessive undulation between teats. The teats should be of medium size, neither too long nor too short, but very slightly tapering, set evenly in the centre of leach quarter of the udder and pointing to the ground.
Colour must be red, deep for preference. A sandy colour is an objection though not a disqualification. White markings are permissible on females on the udder attachment only, and on males on the extreme upper part of the scrotum. A white or silver-hared brush of the tail is permissible.
SIZE:
Males: Skeletal or frame size should be medium to large. With good height, a balancing length and adequate body capacity is required together with depth of rib, substantial bone and a symmetrical leg size to fit this body. Females: Skeletal size should be comparative to the male, with ample scale for age (not coarse) with plenty of length and width, particularly from hips to back.
HEAD:
Masculine and strong in the male, feminine and refined in the female. Head should be broad, of moderate length, and slightly dished. The eyes should be full, wide apart, well hooded and placid; the nostrils wide and open; the jaws should be wide, deep and strong (not undershot or overshot). The poll should be well defined with ears well set on the head and of medium size. There should be no evidence of horns or scurs.
NOSE:
The nose should be flesh coloured. Should it be black this is a disqualification. Any blue nose along with any black or blue spots constitute an objection according to their size.
THROAT:
Clean and free from excessive loose skin.
NECK:
Males: of medium length, muscular, with moderate crest, spreading out to meet the shoulders. Females: Female's shoulders should be smooth and sloping, well filled behind and not open at the top.
CHEST:
Obvious, but not excessive, broad and clean with minimum of loose skin.
RIBS:
Well sprung from backbone, neatly joined to crops and loins, bones well covered. Rumps long from hip to pin bone, broad level and full. Pin bones should be set wide apart.
HINDQUARTER:
Full, thick and muscular showing greatest thickness through stifle area.
TAIL:
Should come neatly out of the body and hang at right angles to it.
LEGS:
Forelegs well apart and straight with strong cannon bone of moderate length and with muscular forearm. Hindlegs slightly inclined forward below the hocks with clean strong flat bone. Hocks correctly set, strong and clean cut. Legs should be well placed on the corners of the body and relatively wide apart. Length of leg to be in proportion to size and length of the animal.
FEET:
Feet should point straight ahead, with short straight toes of equal size and deep heels.
FLESHING:
Deep, smooth and firm, without patchiness, with smooth even fat cover.
SKIN:
Soft, loose and pliable of moderate thickness covered with good quality fine hair.
SHEATH & SCROTUM:
Should not be loose or pendulous. Testicles of moderate to large even size, and hanging freely without twist, with well developed rudimentary teats in front of the scrotum.
UDDER:
Should be well developed, being long from front to rear, wide and deep, but neither pendulous nor fleshy. It should be firmly attached, extending up behind and forward in front. The quarters should be even, the sole level with no excessive undulation between teats. The teats should be of medium size, neither too long nor too short, but very slightly tapering, set evenly in the centre of leach quarter of the udder and pointing to the ground.
Carcass Qualities
- Exceptional tenderness.
- Good marbling
- Fine grain
- Succulent texture
- Full flavour
Why Red Polls Today
Naturally Polled:
Possesses arguably the strongest poll gene of all breeds. Red Poll bulls will produce 95 -100 percent polls when crossed with other breeds. This, including its quit temperament reduces stress and carcase bruising in handling and marketing ensuring tender, high quality beef.
Dual Purpose - Beef and Dairy Traits and Medium Sized:
Perhaps, arguably, the only real dual purpose breed in South Africa. This, along with their foraging ability and feed efficiency making them an economic unit to run and a viable in most environments. It includes being a veld adaptable breed to farm with in extensive and relative arid areas – the medium size lends flexible. Whilst they are more than competitive beef producers they can be milked and when crossed with non-Red Poll cows, the first offspring will almost always produce more milk than their mothers.
Fertility and Longevity:
They rate in the top echelon fertile breeds as reported by the Agricultural Research Council. Many Red Poll cows breed well past 10 years of age, reducing the need for high replacement numbers.
Temperament and Mothering Ability:
The vealer machine! Red Poll cows have great mothering ability and quality high milk production to maximise calf growth. They regularly appear amongst the top weaner weight breeds in the South African Research Council reports – making them indeed one of the most competitive beef breeds whilst still maintaining their dual purpose ability and status. In carcase competitions in Australia, where regularly measured, Red Polls have distinguished themselves in displaying exceptional and superior dressing percentages and yields of saleable beef.
Coat Colour:
Solid dark red coated with good eye and udder pigmentation, which avoids sunburn and minimises eye problems. It will produce 80-95 percent reds when crossed with other breeds and will produce a uniform herd from any mixed lot of cows. The pigmentation virtually eliminates eye cancer when crossed with the white face breeds.
Possesses arguably the strongest poll gene of all breeds. Red Poll bulls will produce 95 -100 percent polls when crossed with other breeds. This, including its quit temperament reduces stress and carcase bruising in handling and marketing ensuring tender, high quality beef.
Dual Purpose - Beef and Dairy Traits and Medium Sized:
Perhaps, arguably, the only real dual purpose breed in South Africa. This, along with their foraging ability and feed efficiency making them an economic unit to run and a viable in most environments. It includes being a veld adaptable breed to farm with in extensive and relative arid areas – the medium size lends flexible. Whilst they are more than competitive beef producers they can be milked and when crossed with non-Red Poll cows, the first offspring will almost always produce more milk than their mothers.
Fertility and Longevity:
They rate in the top echelon fertile breeds as reported by the Agricultural Research Council. Many Red Poll cows breed well past 10 years of age, reducing the need for high replacement numbers.
Temperament and Mothering Ability:
The vealer machine! Red Poll cows have great mothering ability and quality high milk production to maximise calf growth. They regularly appear amongst the top weaner weight breeds in the South African Research Council reports – making them indeed one of the most competitive beef breeds whilst still maintaining their dual purpose ability and status. In carcase competitions in Australia, where regularly measured, Red Polls have distinguished themselves in displaying exceptional and superior dressing percentages and yields of saleable beef.
Coat Colour:
Solid dark red coated with good eye and udder pigmentation, which avoids sunburn and minimises eye problems. It will produce 80-95 percent reds when crossed with other breeds and will produce a uniform herd from any mixed lot of cows. The pigmentation virtually eliminates eye cancer when crossed with the white face breeds.
Maternal Traits
Although the breed has gradually increased in Muscle and Scale, the Red Poll still maintains its superiority as a feminine breed, and is an obvious choice where improvement of fertility and milking ability is required, particularly in regard to cross breeding programs.
The Red Poll cow is the ideal suckler dam, having been selected over the centuries for the maternal traits of high milk yield from rough forage, early maturity (first calf at two years old) and short calving interval. She is capable of calving the progeny from the more muscled terminal sires without assistance.
The Red Poll cow is the ideal suckler dam, having been selected over the centuries for the maternal traits of high milk yield from rough forage, early maturity (first calf at two years old) and short calving interval. She is capable of calving the progeny from the more muscled terminal sires without assistance.
- Fertility
- Longevity (many have a production life of 12 to 15 years)
- Ease of calving (profitability begins with a live calf)
- Fast growth of calves
- Milk yeild @ 4.2% butterfat and 3.5% protein
- Docile temperament
Cross Breeding
The dominant natural poll and uniform red colour, combined with excellent beef qualities makes the Red Poll bull the ideal animal for any cross breeding progamme. The Red bull transmit most of the highly sought after maternal qualities to their progeny, which makes Red Poll - cross cows excellent base cows for stud and commercial breeding programmes.
Red Poll cattle, being of meduim frame, produce small calves with rapid growth which make the Red Poll bull ideal for open heifers. The Red Poll bull is also noted for their excellent work rate, even under the harshest climatic and natural conditions.
Red Poll cattle, being of meduim frame, produce small calves with rapid growth which make the Red Poll bull ideal for open heifers. The Red Poll bull is also noted for their excellent work rate, even under the harshest climatic and natural conditions.
- Red Poll bulls will produce 95 % to 100 % polls
- 80 % to 95 % reds when crossed with other breeds and will produce a uniform herd of cattle from any mixed lot of cows.
- The first cross females will produce more milk than their mothers
- Pigmentation virtually eliminates eye cancer when crossed with the white faced breeds.
- Quality steers with tender well trimed and muscled carcasses (ideal for the modern consumer).