Danish Red
In its own language: Rød Dansk Malkerace
A red Danish dairy breed, with a modern line and a 1970 line
A red dairy breed from Denmark, humpless and taurine, developed from the local cattle of Fyn and Sjælland with red stock from elsewhere in Europe. It is kept for milk that is richer in butterfat and protein than the Holstein Friesian's, and it has been exported widely and used to build other red breeds.
- Red dairy breed from Denmark, built on the local cattle of Fyn and Sjælland
- Its milk carries more butterfat and protein than that of a Holstein Friesian
- Two types are kept apart: the modern breed and the older RDM-1970 line
- Reared in the United States, bred in Brazil, exported to India and Thailand
- Herd book opened in 1885; the breed association ran from 1967 to 2002
What do Danish Red cattle look like?
The Danish Red is a dairy breed, and a red one: that colour runs through its name, the local cattle it came from and the loose group of red breeds found across central Europe. It is a taurine animal, so it is humpless rather than humped. Two forms exist side by side. Since about 1975 the modern type has taken in American Brown Swiss blood and that of other imported cattle. The older form, Rød Dansk Malkerace anno 1970 or RDM-1970, is the breed as it stood before that. Both are milk cattle, and the breed is known for the butterfat and protein in the pail.
Where does the Danish Red come from?
The breed was put together in Denmark. Its base was the cattle long kept on the islands of Fyn, called Funen in English, and Sjælland, or Zealand, with red animals brought in from elsewhere in Europe and Angeln cattle from Angeln in Schleswig bred in. The name Rød Dansk Malkekvæg was written down for the first time at a farmers' assembly at Svendborg in 1878, and a herd book opened in 1885. Breeders formed the Landsforeningen for Rød Dansk Malkerace at Skejby in Aarhus in 1967; the association later went quiet, in 2002.
What the Danish Red is known for
The breed's standing rests on its milk. A Danish Red gives a liquid richer than that of a Holstein Friesian, with more butterfat and more protein in it. That quality is why the breed travelled: farmers in other countries used it, and the Angeln cattle before it, to improve their own red stock, and a number of other breeds carry some of its blood.
How the Danish Red is bred and kept
An 1885 herd book is the written record of the breed, and selection has run through it ever since. The mainstream type has been crossed heavily with American Brown Swiss and other imported cattle since the mid-1970s, which changed it a good deal. To hold on to what came before, breeders keep a second line, RDM-1970, apart from the modern one, and the two are treated as separate populations. Exports over the twentieth century carried the breed to other countries, where it served both as a dairy animal in its own right and as a crossing partner.
Danish Red, drawn
What the Danish Red is kept for
Milk is the main purpose, and it is a rich milk, with butterfat and protein levels above those of the Holstein Friesian. Beyond Denmark the breed has served as breeding material: Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Belarus, Russia and Bulgaria all have red breeds that were improved with it or formed from it. Some animals went to the United States between 1934 and about 1960 under the name Red Dane, and to Brazil, where they were called Dinemarquês, from about 1948 to 1968. Exports in the 1960s and 1970s reached India and Thailand.
The land and climate of the Danish Red
The breed's home ground is the Danish islands of Fyn and Sjælland, farmland in northern Europe. From there the cattle went far: they were reared in the United States from 1934 to about 1960, bred in Brazil from about 1948 to 1968, and sent to India and Thailand after exports in the 1960s and 1970s. In India and Thailand the Danish Red was crossed with zebuine cattle. Danish Red stock has therefore lived well away from the cool islands where the breed was formed.
Who keeps the Danish Red
The breed belongs to Danish farmers, above all those on Fyn and Sjælland whose local cattle stand behind it. The first written use of the name came from a farmers' assembly at Svendborg in 1878, so the people who kept the cattle were also the ones who named them. The breed association later drew members from across the country. Abroad, farmers and breeders in the United States, Brazil, India and Thailand, and in several European countries, have worked with the stock.
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
DAD-IS listed the breed as not at risk in 2026, and in 2007 the FAO did not include it among breeds of concern. The paper record goes back a long way: the name first appears in 1878 and a herd book opened in 1885. The breed association was founded in 1967 and went inactive in 2002. Danish Red stock has travelled widely, reared in the United States, bred in Brazil, sent to India and Thailand, and used in forming red breeds in several European countries.
From the Danish Red
Questions people ask about Danish Red
Where does the Danish Red come from?
From Denmark. Its ancestors were the local cattle of the islands of Fyn, or Funen, and Sjælland, or Zealand, with red cattle from other parts of Europe and Angeln cattle from Angeln in Schleswig bred in.
What is the breed kept for?
Milk. It is a dairy breed, and its milk holds more butterfat and protein than the Holstein Friesian's. It has also served as breeding material, improving or helping to form red breeds in several other countries.
Are there different sorts of Danish Red?
Yes, two, and they are kept separate. The modern Rød Dansk Malkerace has taken in American Brown Swiss and other blood since about 1975. The traditional type is called Rød Dansk Malkerace anno 1970, or RDM-1970.
Is the breed at risk?
DAD-IS recorded it as not at risk in 2026, and in 2007 the FAO did not list it among breeds needing attention. The breed association founded in 1967 became inactive in 2002.
Is it a humped breed?
No. It is a taurine breed, the humpless kind of cattle, unlike the zebu breeds of South Asia. Zebuine cattle were used in crossing experiments with Danish Reds in India and Thailand.
Good reading and sources
- Danish Red on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Danish Red", 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.
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