Red Mingrelian
In its own language: მეგრული წითელი ჯიში
A compact, horned breed from western Georgia, kept for milk and beef
Red Mingrelian is a local breed of compact, horned cattle from western Georgia, kept for both milk and beef. Its coat comes in shades of red, brown and grey, cows stand about 115 cm at the withers, and it is reputed to suit wet winter ground and high summer pasture.
- Cows average 115 cm at the withers and about 300 kg in weight.
- Bulls average 124 cm tall and around 450 kg.
- Milk yield is low, but the fat content of the milk is very high.
- About 7,000 breeding females in 1980; fewer than 1,000 by 1990.
- Reputed to suit wet winter ground and high mountain pasture in summer.
What do Red Mingrelian cattle look like?
Red Mingrelian is a local cattle breed of western Georgia, raised for milk and beef. The animals are compact in build and carry horns. Their coats vary a good deal, running through shades of red, brown and grey, so a herd can look quite mixed in colour. Cows are the smaller sex, standing about 115 cm at the withers, which is the ridge between the shoulders, and weighing around 300 kg. Bulls reach roughly 124 cm and 450 kg. That makes a neat, moderate frame rather than a large one, suited to small farms and mixed ground.
Where does the Red Mingrelian come from?
This is a breed of western Georgia, and its English name comes from Mingrelia, the western part of the country it is tied to. In Georgian it is called მეგრული წითელი ჯიში, or Tsit'eli megruli jishi. It is a local farm breed rather than an industrial one. The recorded history of its numbers is brief and sharp. In 1980 there were thought to be around 7,000 breeding females; ten years later, fewer than a thousand were counted.
What the Red Mingrelian is known for
The breed is known for coping with two very different kinds of ground across the year. In winter it is reputed to live on wet, soft land, and in summer on high mountain pasture. That double life is what farmers value in it. Where it is not remarkable is milk volume, which is low. The compensation is fat: the milk is unusually rich, so each litre goes further in butter and cheese.
Red Mingrelian, drawn
What the Red Mingrelian is kept for
Red Mingrelian cattle are kept for milk and for beef, a modest double purpose that fits small farms. The cows are not heavy milkers and their yields are described as low. What they give carries a very high fat content, so the milk is valued for cream, butter and cheese rather than for volume. Surplus stock and male calves go for meat, and bulls reach about 450 kg, a reasonable carcase for a local breed. The breed is not recorded as a draught animal.
The land and climate of the Red Mingrelian
These cattle live in western Georgia, a damp and mild part of the country. In winter they are said to do well on wet, soft ground, which many breeds find hard on the legs. In summer they are kept on high mountain pastures, using grass that lasts when the low ground dries out or heats up. Wintering low and grazing high is the pattern the breed is described as suited to, and it shapes both the diet and the yearly routine of the herd.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
The recorded numbers are small. Around 1980, estimates put the number of breeding females at about 7,000. By 1990 that figure had fallen to under 1,000, so most of the population was lost within a single decade. Breeding females are the figure usually quoted, because they decide how many calves a breed can produce. The trend is the clearest thing known about the breed's recent past: a sharp contraction in western Georgia through the 1980s.
Questions people ask about Red Mingrelian
Where does the Red Mingrelian come from?
Western Georgia. Its English name comes from Mingrelia, the western part of the country it belongs to, and in Georgian it is მეგრული წითელი ჯიში, or Tsit'eli megruli jishi. It is a local breed rather than an industrial one.
What is it kept for?
Milk and beef. Cows are not heavy milkers, but their milk carries a very high fat content, which suits cream, butter and cheese. Bulls grow to about 450 kg, so surplus animals give useful meat on small farms.
What does it look like?
Compact, horned cattle with coats in various shades of red, brown and grey, so colour varies within the breed. Cows stand about 115 cm at the withers and weigh around 300 kg. Bulls are larger, about 124 cm and 450 kg.
How many are left?
About 7,000 breeding females were estimated in 1980, and by 1990 fewer than 1,000 remained. The decline through the 1980s was steep, and the breed is now rare.
What land does it suit?
The breed is reputed to be adapted to wet ground in winter and to high mountain pasture in summer. That mix of damp lowland wintering and upland summer grazing is the setting it is known for in western Georgia.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Red Mingrelian", 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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