The Latvian Brown cattle is a breed of cattle raised for milk production. The breed began to be formed when Angeln cattle were imported into Latvia for improving the local, low productive cattle.
The Latvian Brown cattle breed began to be formed in the middle of the last century. The crosses had a higher milk yield but lower fat content. Danish Red bulls were imported and used on the Angeln crosses and on the local cattle breeds at the end of the 20th and early in the 21st century.
The long term breeding of the crosses with systematic selection for milk yield and fat content ensured the development of highly milk productive cattle.
The best Latvian Brown cattle were registered since 1885, and the first herdbook was published in 1911. The breed was given a new name in 1947 – Red-Brown Latvian. And the numbers had reached over one million by 1980.
Today the Latvian Brown cattle is primarily used for milk production. Review more information about this cattle breed below.
Latvian Brown Cattle Characteristics
The Latvian Brown cattle is large sized animal. Their color vary from light-red to dark-red. Head, neck and legs of these cattle are often darker. They have a strong constitution.
Their head is usually small, light and moderately long. Their skeleton is light, chest is deep and body is long. Their udder is usually well developed and rump slightly raised.
Both bulls and cows usually have small sized curved horns. Live weight of the adult bulls is 750-850 kg, going up to 1000 kg. And the cows on average weight about 520-560 kg. Info from ansi.okstate.edu and photo from Wikipedia.
Uses
It is a dairy cattle breed. It is mainly used for milk production.
Special Notes
This is a good dairy cattle breed. Milk production of the purebred Latvian Brown cows is high. Their average milk production is about 4537 kg per lactation, but some cows produce more.
On average, their milk contain about 4.28 percent of fat content. However, review full breed profile of this breed in the following table.
| Breed Name | Latvian Brown |
| Other Name | Red-Brown Latvian |
| Breed Purpose | Milk |
| Special Notes | Hardy, Active |
| Breed Size | Heavy |
| Bulls | 750-850, but can be as heavy as 1000 kg |
| Cows | 520-560 kg |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Skin Color | Light-red to dark-red |
| Horned | Yes |
| Milk Yield | Good |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country of Origin | Latvia |
