Red Danish Cattle

a breed of dairy and dairy-beef cattle. It was developed in Denmark in the 18th and 19th centuries by crossing local cattle with Angeln, North Schleswig, and Ballum breeds. The animals are strongly built. Bulls weigh 1,000 kg or more; cows weigh 550 kg (the largest, up to 800 kg). In Denmark the average productivity of Red Danish cows is 4,500 kg of milk per year; cows registered in elite herdbooks yield over 6,000 kg. The record milk yield is 13,614 kg, with a fat content of 5.4 percent. On the best farms in the USSR, the productivity of Red Danish cows is 4,800 kg of milk, with a fat content of 4 percent. The meat qualities are satisfactory. The breed is raised in Denmark, the USSR, the United States, and Poland. In the USSR, Red Danish cattle were used in developing the Brown Latvian, Red Estonian, and Red Lithuanian breeds.