Bohuskulla
A rare, hornless Swedish mountain breed, usually black or brown and often colour-sided
The Bohuskulla is a rare, hornless mountain breed from western Sweden, its coat most often black or brown and frequently colour-sided. A traditional native cow of the Kynnefjäll plateau, it survives only in tiny numbers and is kept going chiefly for conservation.
- Hornless mountain cattle from the Kynnefjäll plateau in western Sweden
- Most often black or brown, frequently with a colour-sided coat
- Bulls about 600 kg, cows about 425 kg
- Only 39 cows and 11 bulls were recorded in 2011
- FAO listed the breed as critical-maintained in 2007
What do Bohuskulla cattle look like?
The Bohuskulla is a hornless mountain breed of middle weight. Bulls weigh about 600 kg, cows about 425 kg, so the bull is noticeably the heavier animal. Both sexes are naturally polled, meaning they grow no horns, a trait it shares with the Fjällko, its close relative. The coat varies from animal to animal: many are colour-sided, a patched pattern, and black or brown are the usual colours. In frame it is shaped by its hill-country past, an agile, fertile cow that calves easily. It belongs to the taurine cattle, the humpless group of northern Europe.
Where does the Bohuskulla come from?
The Bohuskulla is a traditional Swedish farm breed. Its home ground is the Kynnefjäll plateau, an upland of poor grazing in the north of Bohuslän that reaches into Dalsland, in western Sweden. In the late 1800s and early 1900s many animals were exported to Norway. The breed as it exists today descends from cattle found in the 1990s at Skepplanda, in Västergötland, not far from the Bohuslän border; those animals had been brought from the Kynnefjäll. Microsatellite analysis, a DNA test that reads short repeating markers to gauge kinship, shows it to be a close relative of the Fjällko, Sweden's mountain cattle. A herd book, the official pedigree record, opened in 1993.
What the Bohuskulla is known for
In temperament and working qualities it is a mountain breed through and through. The animals are agile on rough ground, the cows breed readily, and they calve easily, giving birth with little trouble. Such traits suit a life outdoors on thin pasture. As a producer, though, it disappoints: as with the other Allmogeko breeds, output is modest, and it will not match modern dairy or beef strains. Its worth today lies in its blood rather than its yield. With so few animals left, keeping the breed going is the work of a dedicated conservation society.
How the Bohuskulla is bred and kept
A herd book, the official record of pedigrees, was established in 1993. Registration and conservation are handled by the Föreningen Allmogekon, the society that manages the breed. The Bohuskulla is counted, with the Ringamålako and the Väneko, among the Allmogekor, a name that means roughly 'Swedish native cattle'. Breeding is now tightly controlled: in the past some crossing with the Fjällnära boskap, another mountain breed of Sweden, was allowed, but a breeding plan issued in 2007 no longer permits it, so the line stays pure. Because so few bulls exist, semen from seven of them is held for artificial insemination, so cows can be bred without moving animals.
Bohuskulla, drawn
What the Bohuskulla is kept for
This was traditionally a cow of the western Swedish hills, at home on thin grazing. As a producer it is modest: like its fellow Allmogeko breeds, output is low, and no special dairy or beef merits are claimed for it. Its present-day role is chiefly as a heritage animal. Herds are kept going under a conservation programme, entered in the herd book and bred to the rules set out in 2007. For a smallholder the practical rewards are those of any mountain cow, an agile, fertile animal that calves easily, rather than heavy yields. In effect, the breed is farmed in order to be saved.
The land and climate of the Bohuskulla
The breed's home is the Kynnefjäll plateau, an upland of barren, thin grazing in northern Bohuslän that extends into Dalsland, in western Sweden. Poor hill pasture of this kind shaped the Bohuskulla into a nimble, undemanding mountain cow. Its present distribution is given as Bohuslän, Dalsland and Västergötland, the three provinces where its history and its herds lie. Västergötland entered the story in the 1990s, when the surviving group was found at Skepplanda, near the Bohuslän border.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
The Bohuskulla is critically rare. The FAO listed it in 2007 as critical-maintained, a category for breeds in danger of extinction that have conservation measures in place. The figures are tiny: in 2008, 36 registered cows were reported to DAD-IS, the international farm-animal database, and in 2011 the population stood at 39 cows and 11 bulls, with semen from seven further bulls held for artificial insemination. By 2016 the breed had dropped out of the Swedish Board of Agriculture's list of reported breeds. A herd book has run since 1993, and the Föreningen Allmogekon manages registration and conservation alongside its work for the Ringamålako and the Väneko.
Questions people ask about Bohuskulla
Where does the Bohuskulla come from?
It comes from the Kynnefjäll plateau, an upland of poor grazing in northern Bohuslän and into Dalsland in western Sweden. It is a traditional Swedish farm breed; the cattle identified in the 1990s at Skepplanda in Västergötland had themselves been brought from the Kynnefjäll.
What is the Bohuskulla kept for?
Little in commercial terms: like the other Allmogeko breeds it is not a high-yielding animal. Its main role today is conservation. It is entered in a herd book and bred under a 2007 plan as one of Sweden's endangered native cattle, valued for its traditional bloodline rather than its output.
Does the Bohuskulla have horns?
No. It is naturally polled, meaning the animals grow no horns. It shares this trait with the Fjällko, the Swedish mountain cattle to which microsatellite DNA analysis has shown it to be closely related.
How big is a Bohuskulla, and what does it look like?
Bulls weigh about 600 kg and cows about 425 kg. The coat varies but is most often black or brown, frequently in a colour-sided pattern. The breed is agile, fertile and easy when calving, and both sexes are naturally hornless.
How many Bohuskulla cattle are left?
Very few. In 2011 the whole population was given as 39 cows and 11 bulls, with semen from seven further bulls held for artificial insemination. In 2008, 36 registered cows were reported to DAD-IS, and the FAO classed the breed as critical-maintained in 2007.
Good reading and sources
- Bohuskulla on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Bohuskulla", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
More from Sweden
All the breeds of Sweden
🇸🇪 SwedenVäneko
An endangered Swedish dairy breed, black or red with white, named for a villageTaurine · Dairy
🇸🇪 SwedenSwedish Red-and-WhiteSvensk röd och vit boskap
A red and white Swedish milk breed with horns on cows and bulls alikeTaurine · Dairy
🇸🇪 SwedenFjällSvensk fjällras
A polled, mostly white dairy cow from the Swedish mountains, hardy on thin grazing.Taurine · Dairy · Polled
🇸🇪 SwedenSwedish Red PolledRödkulla
A hornless red Swedish cow kept for milk and meat, once reduced to about 20 animals.Taurine · Dual-purpose · Polled
Its cousins elsewhere
All heritage breeds
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreBantengbanṭéng (Javanese/Sundanese)
A wild Southeast Asian ox; its tame form, Bali cattle, runs feral in northern AustraliaBanteng · Beef · Drought-hardy
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreNelore
A large humped beef breed from India, now dominant in Brazil and known for heat tolerance and parasite resistance.Zebu · Beef · Heat-tolerant
🇮🇳 IndiaKhillari
A draft breed from Maharashtra and Karnataka, compact with sweeping horns and grey-white coats.Zebu · Draught · Heat-tolerant
🇮🇳 IndiaMalnad Giddaಮಲೆನಾಡು ಗಿಡ್ಡ
A small, dark humpless breed from the Western Ghats of Karnataka, kept for milk and draught work.Taurine · Dairy · Disease-resistant