Skip to main content

Pirenaica Cattle

The Pirenaica cattle are a breed of domestic cattle which is mainly used for meat production purposes. It is indigenous to the Pyreness of north-eastern Spain.

Currently the breed is present in much of the northern part of Spain, but mainly distributed in the autonomous communities of Navarre and the Basque Country.

Exact origins of the Pirenaica cattle are uncertain. It was the predominant breed of cattle of northern Spain in the past.

A herdbook was opened for the breed in Gipuzkoa in 1905 which was the first of it's kind in Spain. A herdbook was also opened in Navarre in 1925.

The Pirenaica cattle breed came close to extinction in 20th century. And it had disappeared from the Basque Country in 1974, with the exception of about 40 head in Gipuzkoa.

And about 1500 head remained in Navarre, of which about 1000 were in the valley of Aezkoa. Now the number of the breed has increased and it is not at risk.

The Pirenaica cattle breed is classified among the "autochthonous breeds in development" by the Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente, the Spanish ministry of agriculture, and thus not at risk of extinction.

Currently the breed is mainly distributed in the northern part of Spain (northern Catalonia). Read more information about the breed below.

pirenaica cattle, about pirenaica cattle, pirenaica cattle breed, pirenaica cattle breed info, pirenaica cattle breed facts, pirenaica cattle behavior, pirenaica cattle care, caring pirenaica cattle, pirenaica cattle color, pirenaica cattle characteristics, pirenaica cattle facts, pirenaica cattle for milk, pirenaica cattle for meat, pirenaica cattle history, pirenaica cattle info, pirenaica cattle images, pirenaica cattle milk, pirenaica cattle meat, pirenaica cattle origin, pirenaica cattle picture, pirenaica cattle photos, pirenaica cattle personality, pirenaica cattle rarity, raising pirenaica cattle, pirenaica cattle rearing, pirenaica cattle size, pirenaica cattle tame, pirenaica cattle temperament, pirenaica cattle uses, pirenaica cattle weight

Pirenaica Cattle Characteristics

Pirenaica cattle are medium sized animals with wheaten colored coat. Both bulls and cows usually have horns. Average height of the Pirenaica cows is about 132 cm at the withers, and about 150 cm for the bulls.

The bulls on average weight about 800 kg. And average body weight of the cows is about 525 kg. Photo and info from Wikipedia.

Uses

The Pirenaica cattle breed was a triple-purpose animal in the past, and used as a draught animal and for milk and meat production. Currently the breed is mainly used for meat production. But sometimes the oxen may be used in the traditional rural sport of arrastre de piedra or stone-dragging.

Special Notes

Pirenaica cattle are well adapted to the mountainous terrain and humid climate of the northern part of Spain. They were used as a triple-purpose breed in the past, but now are being used mainly for meat production.

Total number of the breed is gradually increasing and it is not now at risk. Total population of the breed was recorded as 40,026 at the end of 2014 (of which 34,806 were cow and 5,220 were bull). However, review full breed profile of the Pirenaica cattle in the following chart.

Breed NamePirenaica
Other NameBasque: Behi-gorri
Breed PurposeMainly meat
Special NotesStrong, hardy, well adapted to the mountainous terrain and humid climate of the northern Spain
Breed SizeMedium
BullsAbout 800 kg
CowsAbout 525 kg
Climate ToleranceAll Climates
Coat ColorWheaten
HornedYes
Milk YieldMedium
RarityCommon
Country/Place of OriginSpain

Comments

Popular Posts

Murray Grey Cattle

The Murray Grey cattle are a breed of beef cattle from Australia. It was developed in the upper Murray River valley on the New South Wales. The breed was developed in 1905 from an initial chance mating of a black Aberdeen Angus bull and a roan Shorthorn cow during the Federation drought. From these matings the resulting thirteen dun-grey calves were kept as curiosities. And then Peter and Ena Sutherland bred them on the Thologolong property along the Murray River in New South Wales. Murray Grey cattle grew faster and were good converters of feed and produced quality carcases. These are the reasons this animals become very popular after their development. And local farmers became interested soon in these animals and began breeding them. The first large scale commercial farms were established in the 1940s. Today the breed is available in many countries. Both live Murray Grey cattle and embryos have been exported to many countries such as Canada, South America, New Ze...

Sorting Cattle

Sorting cattle is important if you have a large number of animals. For better management you will need to separate the animals into different groups depending on their age, size, gender or condition score. If some cattle of your herd need to be examined by a veterinarian or confined due to injury or illness, then separation may also need to be done. Sorting is also needed for separating the calves that need to be weaned from their mothers. And separating the bulls is also necessary after they have done their duty with breeding cows. Sorting Cattle Sorting cattle is not actually a difficult task. It can be done easily if you understand stockmanship principles that take advantage of bovine psychology and behavior. However, here we are describing more about the ways of sorting cattle. Sorting From a Squeeze Chute In this system you can move your cattle through a working corral into a chute system into the squeeze. In this system you can check and process animals f...

Andalusian Black Cattle Farming

Andalusian Black cattle farming is not too popular, even in it's native area. It is a relatively rare breed which is valued for meat production. But today, the breed is listed as 'endangered', and total number of the breed is very less. The Andalusian Black cattle is a taurine cattle breed, and it was originated in west Andalusia, Spain. It is also known by some other names such as Negra de las Campiñas, Negra Campiñesa and Spanish: Negra Andaluza. The Andalusian Black cattle is actually a beef cattle breed which is raised primarily for meat production purpose. The breed is found in two main areas of west Andalusia (from Cordova to the foothills of the Sierra Morena), and in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz and Huelva. Today, total population of the Andalusian Black cattle breed is very less. And there were about 800 purebred cattle in the year of 2007. Total number of this breed decreased mainly for crossbreeding with other local cattle breeds. Other reason...

Belted Galloway Cattle Farming

Belted Galloway cattle farming is popular, especially in it's native area. It is a beef cattle breed and raised mainly for meat production purpose. The breed is also known by some other names such as Beltie, Oreo Cow and Panda Cow. The Belted Galloway cattle breed was originated from Galloway in the west side of Southern Scotland. It is a heritage breed, and is well adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and wildswept moorlands of the region. Exact origins of the breed are unclear. But it is often surmised that the white belt of the breed may be a result of cross breeding with the Dutch Lakenvelder belted cattle. And the breed is named so mainly because of the belt. An association for the breed named the Belted Galloway Association was formed in 1921 in Scotland. And the name of the association was changed to Belted Galloway Society in the year of 1951. The association keeps and records pedigrees for Belted Galloways and oversees the registration of White and Re...

Cleaning A Cow

Cleaning a cow in the proper way can keep the animal look and feel fresh. Cleaning also help to prevent external parasites. You may also need to clean your cow to show it off at your local county fair or other occasions. And you need to clean your cows more often especially if you have dairy cows. You can integrate a spraying system for cleaning a cow once a day or so. Along with cleaning the body, you should also provide a footbath for better health of the cow's hooves. However, here we are describing more about the process of cleaning a cow. Sprinkler System Add Sprinkler in a Pre-milking Wash Pen You can construct a pre-milking wash pen with sprinklers for cleaning multiple cows. In this system, install sprinklers all along the pen you hold the cows in before milking. Using concrete for the floor will be good. It will help to keep the floor dry quickly and you will not have a constantly muddy area. You should spray sprinklers both up and down to wash the cows th...

Agerolese Cattle Farming

Agerolese cattle farming is not common, even in it's native area. It is a dairy cattle breed which is raised mainly for milk production purpose in it's native area. It is a pretty rare breed and not available outside it's native area. The Agerolese cattle is actually from the area of Agerola, in Campania in southern Italy. It was developed from cross-breeding of indigenous Podolica cattle with Bruna Italiana, Italian Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle. The breed is particularly associated with the Sorrento Peninsula and Monti Lattari. The Agerolese cattle is one of the 16 minor Italian cattle breeds of limited diffusion recognized and protected by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. There were a total of 200 animals available according to a census completed on 1 January 2002. And the conservation status of the Agerolese cattle breed was reported by the FAO as 'endangered-maintained' in 200...

Ankole-Watusi Cattle Farming

Ankole-Watusi cattle farming is pretty popular, especially in it's native area. It is a multi-purpose breed of domestic cattle which is raised and valued for show, draught, meat and milk production purpose. The Ankole-Watusi cattle is a landrace breed, a type of Sanga cattle and originally native to East Africa. It is also known as Ankole Longhorn, and also sometimes known simply as Ankole or Watusi. Ankole-Watusi cattle is actually an ancient breed, and ancient rock paintings and depictions of these animals have been observed in the Sahara region and in the Egyptian arts and pyramid walls. The Sanga breed has spread to the Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and some other parts of Eastern Africa, becoming the base stock of the indigenous African cattle populations. It has most of the usual Zebu characteristics such as the pendulous dewlap and sheath, hump of variable size and the upturned horns. The Ankole-Watusi cattle have played a very important role in the lives of various ...