The Swedish Red cattle are a dairy cattle breed which are raised primarily for milk production. As the name suggests, this breed is from Sweden and originated from English Milking Shorthorn dairy cattle and Scottish Ayrshire cattle.
The breed is also known by some other names such as SRB, Swedish Red-and-White Cattle, and Svensk rödbrokig boskap or Svensk röd och vit boskap in Swedish.
The Red Pied Swedish breed was largest in terms of size in Sweden in the 1920s. But merged with the Swedish Ayrshire cattle breed in 1928, forming the Swedish Red cattle breed.
Genes of red breeds in Scandinavian countries are being incorporated into this breed over the last five decades, as a part of joint breeding program. And this breeding program involves incorporating red dairy genetics from Denmark, Finland, Norwegian and Swedish Red cattle breed.
The breed was once very common in the landscapes Dalarna and Bohuslän, and also in the area around Stockholm. But this cattle breed is very rare today, almost extinct. Read more information about this cattle breed below.
Swedish Red Cattle Characteristics
Swedish Red cattle are medium sized animals with mostly red body color with patchy white spotting. They are usually polled and don’t have horns. The breed has similarities with the West Finnish cattle.
Average height of the Swedish Red cattle is approximately 140 cm. And their average body weight is between 500 and 600 kg. Photo from Dairy Cattle Registry and info from Wikipedia.
Uses
These animals are multi purpose cattle breed. But they are primarily raised as a dairy cattle breed for milk production.
Special Noes
The Swedish Red cattle are a robust and resilient breed of cattle. And they are well known for their longevity, fertility, calving ease and udder health. They are good for many purposes, with some potential in meat production.
But the animals are mainly kept for milk production. The cows on average give about 8000 kg of milk per year. Their milk is of very good quality with a fat content of 4.4 percent and 3.6 percent protein content. Review full breed profile of this breed in the table below.
| Breed Name | Swedish Red |
| Other Names | SRB, Swedish Red-and-White Cattle, and Svensk rödbrokig boskap or Svensk röd och vit boskap in Swedish |
| Breed Purpose | Milk |
| Special Notes | Hardy, Active, Fertile, Long-lived |
| Breed Size | Medium |
| Bulls | About 500 to 600 kg |
| Cows | About 500 to 600 kg |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Coat Color | Mostly red with patchy white spotting |
| Horned | Polled |
| Milk Yield | Good |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Country/Place of Origin | Sweden |
