The English Longhorn cattle is a long-horned brown and white breed of beef cattle originating from Craven, in the north of England. English Longhorns were originally used as draught animals, which their body is well suited for; the milk was also collected for butter and cheese because of its high butterfat content. In this blog post, we will discuss English Longhorn breeding history, characteristics and care requirements to help you decide on whether or not English Longhorns are right for your farm.
The English Longhorn cattle are of very remote origin and, although their number is today extremely limited. Its distribution was very extensive even only 200 or 300 years ago. This race dates from the time of the Roman invasion. Being descended from the cattle of long and wavy horns that the Romans brought to Great Britain. Be that as it may, around 1800 the descendants of English Longhorn cattle were one of the most popular types in Britain.
Characteristics of English Longhorn Cattle
The color of the layer varies from reddish-brown, which is the color of the old Warwickshire to brown get into. With shades of red and plum, which is the color of the western habitat but in all cases has a white stripe along the spine and tail. There is a white spot on each thigh. The lower portion of the legs and chest is often white.
And the forehead presents many white hairs or even a white spot, and the whole head can also be of this color. In addition, the breeders reject yellow-white animals and black pronghorn. In general, the head is long and wide, with a flesh-colored nose. This breed takes its name from the characteristic large horns that extend outward. The horns are direct forward or curving downward and inward toward the nose.
The horns that are direct backward are infrequent and little accepted. Another characteristic of the horns is that they have a fine texture and a pink color in the strain and must be free of all black coloration. The body is long and cylindrical, with well-arched ribs, a large abdomen, and deep, well-muscled thighs. The legs are relatively short, the skin thick with a dense coat of soft and relatively long hair.
In addition, the animals are resistant and very docile and their size is approximately double that of the Shorthorn. You may also like to read Hereford Cattle.
Usage
The English Longhorn cattle are of relatively slow maturation and, although they are not of course confirmation. Their various body regions are not as harmonized as in other breeds improved more recently. The Longhorn cattle have always been very popular among slaughterers for giving lean channels.
Its milk yield is not high; the percentage of fat in milk is very high but, as has recently been showing, milk production could be greatly increased. The fat globules of milk are of such size that it is suitable for the manufacture of cheese. You may also like to read Angus Cattle.
Food
When the English Longhorn cattle breed was created, the pastures were not improved and winter forage storage was limited. But in subsequent years it was slowly adopting the cultivation of forage roots, the storage of hay and straw and the feeding of the cattle in winter. In reality, very few details of the practices follow at that time are know. But there is no doubt that the animals had to adapt to long periods of insufficient food.
Special Feature
The English Longhorn cattle were more numerous in the northern counties, in the center, as well as in the southwest and north of Ireland. There is a wide variety of soils from the rich grazing areas of the Midlands to the calcareous hills of the southwest. The clayey lowlands and turkey regions of Ireland. Longhorn cattle do not enjoy much popularity today and only a few herds remain.
However, improvements were made to the English Longhorn cattle which brought this breed to fame. The improvement of this breed was made by looking for animals with good characteristics of many areas. In addition, a consanguinity and selection policy was then followed to obtain meat/milk animals. In place of the previous milk/work aptitude.
This breed has a highly satisfactory breeding system. Also, this breed was the first demonstration of what could be done with cattle. Discarding the undesirable characteristics and dedicating itself to the fixation of those other desirable ones. Another measure to improve this breed was to look for breeding males, and tests and behavioral tests were carried out.
These methods are used to improve this breed were later applied to the improvement of other breeds. Although when this race began to improve, many gave it as a lost race. And many breeders thought that this improvement should have been applying to other species. But in spite of that, it laid the basis for British bovines to reach an early boom that allowed an enormously profitable export trade.
Although this breed does not fall within the list of dangers in extinction, there is not a large number of specimens of this breed. You may also like to read Dexter Cattle.
FAQ
What is the use of English longhorn?
The English Longhorn is a breed of beef cattle that originated in England centuries ago. They are the oldest recognized breeds of beef cattle and have been used for hundreds of years for their rich meat and hardy constitution.
What are the characteristics of English longhorn?
English Longhorns are an elegant and hardy breed of cattle that originated in England, hence their name. They are of moderate size with a long body shape, long legs, and exceptionally large horns. They were developed for beef production but also have strong milk-producing capabilities; however, they do not make good milk cows due to their extended lactation cycles (they can produce milk for up to 18 months!).
What is the origin of English longhorn cattle?
English Longhorn cattle, also known as Longhorns, have been around for centuries. The breed originated as a crossbreed between native British cattle and type brought over to Britain by Spanish Armada ships in the late 1500s.
Conclusion
You may have seen English Longhorn cattle before. They are a long-horned brown and white breed of beef cattle originating from Craven, in the north of England. The breed was initially used as a draught animal, which its body is well suited for; the milk was also collected for butter and cheese because of its high butterfat content. In today’s post, we will take an in-depth look at how this ancient British cow became one of America’s most popular breeds! We hope you found our guide helpful – good luck out there!
As a reference: Wikipedia
