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Estonian Red cattle

Place of Origin	Estonia
Origin	Estonian Red cattle have evolved from continuous crossbreeding of the native Estonian cattle with the Angler and Danish Red cattle. This crossbreeding started in the middle 1800's with the aim to create a breed which produced milk with a high fat content and an increased yield. Later on more attention was focused on weight and body size. The first Estonian Red animals were entered in the herdbook in 1885. The Estonian Red started to spread throughout Estonia towards the end of the 19th Century although a great number of herds perished during World War 1 and 2. In 1916 there were 269,000 cows which was reduced to 225,000 by 1920. A strong advocate of the breed Jaan Mägi set up the Estonian Angler Breeders' Society in 1919 to help the breed, and in 1928 he renamed the breed to what it is known today, the Estonian Red, it has been gaining popularity ever since. In 1993 the European Red Dairy Breed Association was set up in Denmark which aims to improve Red breeds to make them more economical, provide opportunities for breeders and increase communication between European Red cattle breeders with the Estonian Red being one of the five breeds. This breed is also part of the International Red Cow Club. In the last 10 years seven different breeds have been used to improve this breed, these are, Angler, Danish Red, Swiss, Red Holstein, Norwegian Red, Ayshire and Swedish Red and White. The Estonian Red is now fully restored to its popular position and is fully competitive with the Estonian Holstein, as now it accounts for 63.3% of all cattle in Estonia.
Purpose	They are used for meat and dairy.
Appearance	The Estonian Red is medium in size with a strong frame. The coat colour is red and can range from light to dark, the bulls tend to be dark. Some body measurements are as follows; withers height 127.5cm, chest depth 70cm, chest width 45.5cm, oblique body length 157.9cm, heart girth 195.6cm, cannon bone girth 18.3cm.
Horns	Small curved horns.
Cows Average Weight	450 - 550 kg (992 - 1213 lbs.) with a maximum of 780 kg (1720 lbs.)
Bulls Average Weight	800 - 900 kg (1764 - 1984 lbs.) with a maximum of 1000 kg (2205 lbs.)
Other Considerations	Improvement of the Estonian Red cattle is being carried out by pure breeding and by crossbreeding with the Danish Red and the Angeln.