The Sussex cattle are a beef cattle breed from England which is mainly raised for meat production. The breed is from the Weald of Sussex, Surrey and Kent in south eastern England.
Today it is a very popular cattle breed throughout the world, especially in the English speaking countries. The Sussex cattle are indeed an ancient breed of cattle. They descended from the draught oxen, which long used on the Weald. But the breed was not seriously developed until the 1800s.
They were selectively bred from that time to form a modern meat producing breed, which is now used for meat production in many countries throughout the world. They have similarities with many local cattle breeds of southern England.
The Sussex cattle breed originally derives from the traditional multi-purpose red landrace cattle of this area. The herdbook was established in 1874, and a polled section was added in 1979. Read more information about this cattle bred below.
Sussex Cattle Characteristics
The Sussex cattle are medium sized animal with dark red-brown coats and creamy white tail switches. They have relatively long body. The breed is naturally horned, but polled animals also bred.
They are suited to both cold winters and hot summers. Because they have a thin summer coat and many sweat glands, but grow a thick coat in the winter season.
Average height of the bulls at the withers is about 145 cm, and about 135 cm for the cows. The bulls on average weight about 950 kg.
And average body weight of the cows is about 585 kg. Photo and info from ansi.okstate.edu and Wikipedia.
Uses
Sussex cattle were a multi-purpose breed of cattle. Previously they were used as draught animals. But now they are used as a meat cattle breed and mainly used for meat production.
Special Notes
The Sussex cattle are heavy boned, large shouldered animals which are very hardy. They are well suited to both cold and hot climates. They can perform good throughout the world.
It is a popular breed and highly valued for meat production in the English speaking countries. They have placid temperament, but can also be very stubborn. Review full breed profile of the Sussex cattle in the following table.
| Breed Name | Sussex |
| Other Name | None |
| Breed Purpose | Meat |
| Special Notes | Hardy |
| Breed Size | Medium |
| Bulls | About 950 kg |
| Cows | About 585 kg |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Coat Color | Dark red-brown coat and creamy white tail switches |
| Horned | Yes/Polled |
| Milk Yield | Poor |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country/Place of Origin | England |
