The Australian Braford cattle are a breed of beef cattle which are raised mainly for meat production.
As the name suggests, the breed is from Australia and developed in Queensland between 1946 and 1952 in a program for producing cattle that were resistant to cattle ticks and tolerated the heat better than some other cattle breeds.
It was actually developed by a cross between a Hereford bull and a Brahman cow, and it carry the characteristics of both of these cattle breeds.
Now it is a stabilized breed with approximately 50 percent Brahman and 50 percent Hereford genetic background.
Currently the breed is mainly found in NSW and Queensland. Seed of the breed has been exported to some countries especially to the South Africa and South America.
Live cattle exports have also been made in some countries, such as into Indonesia and Thailand.
The Australian Braford cattle can still be produced through straight-forward crossbreeding between Brahman and Hereford.
However, these are called F1 Brafords (or F1 Baldies). The usual pairing is Hereford bulls and Brahman cows. Read some more information about the breed below.
Australian Braford Cattle Characteristics
Australian Braford cattle are medium to large sized animals and usually are red in color with white head, underbelies and feet. They have white underbelly, head and feet.
They carry many characteristics of the Brahman cattle such as loose skin, hump, short coat etc. And their color markings are those of the Hereford cattle.
They can be either horned or polled. They have relatively oily skin and their extra sweat glands make them ideal for hotter climates, but they can also do very well in the colder regions too.
Their eyes are excellently sited to stay healthy under the fierce Australian sun, and cases of eye cancer are very low in these animals.
Average live body weight of the mature Australian Braford bulls is around 1000 kg. And the mature cows on average weight around 750 kg. Photo and info from That’s Farming and Wikipedia.
Uses
Australian Braford cattle are a breed of beef cattle. They are raised mainly for meat production.
Special Notes
The Australian Braford cattle are very hardy animals. They are relatively tick tolerant and heat resistant, and perform very well in harsh tropical conditions.
They have always been recognized for their early puberty, fertility, easy calving and superior maternal abilities.
Proper handling is required for raising these animals, because they can relatively be aggressive in nature, especially the bulls.
The Australian Braford cattle are relatively a slow maturing animal than the British breeds, but they produce very good carcasses that have a minimum of waste.
Along with Australia, the breed has also been created in the United States, and it is growing in reputation and popularity in many countries.
And it has been exported to many countries such as China, Malaysia, New Zealand, New Guinea, South Africa, South America and Western Samoa.
However, review full breed profile of the Australian Braford cattle in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Australian Braford | |
| Other Name | None | |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly meat | |
| Special Notes | Well adapted to native climates, very good for meat production, hardy, high quality meat, fast growers, very fertile, bulls can be aggressive | |
| Breed Size | Medium to large | |
| Bulls | Around 1000 kg | |
| Cows | Around 750 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates | |
| Coat Color | Mainly red with white markings | |
| Horned | Yes or polled | |
| Milk Yield | Average | |
| Rarity | Common | |
| Country/Place of Origin | Australia |
