Red Poll

What do Red Poll cattle look like?

The Red Poll is a British dual-purpose breed, kept for milk and for meat. Its coat is red, and the deeper shades are preferred; white is allowed only on the udder and on the tail switch, the tuft of long hair at the end of the tail. The breed is naturally polled, which means it carries no horns. In build it is moderate rather than rangy. Most herds today are suckler herds, though a few are still milked, and some cattle graze conservation sites.

Where does the Red Poll come from?

The breed was assembled in England during the second half of the nineteenth century. Two parent breeds, both since extinct, supplied the blood: the Norfolk Red, a horned beef type, and the Suffolk Dun, a dairy type that was already smooth-headed. Norfolk and Suffolk are neighbouring counties in the east of England. The horn gene was bred out, so the new cattle were polled from the start. In 1863 the name Norfolk and Suffolk Red Polled was taken; a standard description was agreed in 1873 and a herd book appeared in 1874. Breeders shortened the title to Red Polled in 1883, and in 1888 they founded their society and settled on the present two-word name.

What the Red Poll is known for

The breed is known for calving without trouble and for bringing up a high share of its calves. The cattle are quiet enough for a beginner to handle, which has made them useful on smallholdings and in youth stock programmes. Selection has also looked at feed efficiency and at the ability to finish on grass within a moderate frame. One bull tested in 2010 ranked in the top one per cent for feed efficiency, and steer feed tests have been run on a small farm in Washington state.

How the Red Poll is bred and kept

A written standard came first, in 1873, and a herd book followed a year later. From the outset the aim was polled cattle, since horns were unwanted. Neither founding breed survives today. Red Polls graze grass for much of their keep and fit a moderate frame, which suits low-input systems. Feed efficiency now forms part of selection, with bulls and steers tested for it. In the United States the breed holds the title of oldest registered breed. Cows are expected to calve without help and to rear their own calves.

What the Red Poll is kept for

The breed was designed to give both milk and beef, and it still does. Most cows now run as sucklers, rearing a calf for the beef trade, and the breed is valued because few of those calvings need help. A handful of dairy herds remain in England, and there are milking herds in Texas as well. In parts of the western United States small ranches and backyards keep them for beef and for 4H projects, drawn by the calm temperament. Some herds are put to work on conservation grazing.

The land and climate of the Red Poll

The breed began in Norfolk and Suffolk, in the east of England, and later travelled to three other countries. Australia took it up in the middle of the nineteenth century for beef, the United States in 1873, and New Zealand in 1898, where the first herd was not established until 1917, with 22 animals shipped over from Australia. In North America the cattle spread as far as Texas and are kept on small western holdings, including in Washington state, where grass finishing matters.

Keeping Red Poll cattle

Calving is the breed's strong point: cows generally calve unaided and rear a high proportion of their calves. The temperament is calm, so beginners can handle the cattle, which is why they turn up on smallholdings and in youth programmes. They are grass-fed for much of the year and are bred to finish on grass. Selection for feed efficiency means they are expected to convert fodder well.

Related breeds and crosses

Both parent breeds, the Norfolk Red and the Suffolk Dun, are now extinct. With Suffolk sheep and the Suffolk Punch heavy horse, the Red Poll makes up what is known as the Suffolk Trinity, a trio of livestock from that county. It is often set beside other red English beef breeds that do carry horns: Sussex from the south east, North Devon from Devon, Somerset and Cornwall, and Lincoln Red from Lincolnshire.

Numbers, conservation and the herd book

The herd book dates from 1874, a year after the first written standard. The name went through three stages, starting as Norfolk and Suffolk Red Polled in 1863 and ending as Red Poll in 1888. Australia received the breed in the mid-nineteenth century, the United States in 1873 and New Zealand in 1898, though no New Zealand herd took hold until 22 head arrived from Australia in 1917. In the United States it is described as the oldest registered breed and has marked its 125th year. It is classed as a rare breed.

Questions people ask about Red Poll

Good reading and sources

• Red Poll on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data