The Red Poll was produced by
crossing the milky Suffolk Dun with the meaty
Norfolk Red in the early part of the 19th century.
Unfortunately, both of these breeds are now extinct.
The "Norfolk and Suffolk Polled" animal
could be any colour, as long as it was polled.
In 1874 the Red Poll herdbook was published and
the colour of the breed established as red, preferably
deep red and white touches only in the tail switch
and sometimes the udder. A breed society was established
a few years later in 1888.
As a breed the milky cows are often prone to
injury due to pendulous udders which can also
make suckling awkward. Baby beef calves were traditionally
bucket reared for this reason. Red Poll meat is
of high-quality even from low protein foodstuffs
due to the excellent food conversion ratio of
the breed. Steers and heifers produce good quality
carcasses with a conformation described as a dairy
type with extra flesh. Being early maturing the
breed is suited to both intensive and extensive
systems. Mature bulls weigh an average 620kg and
cows 520kg. Average milk yields are 4,600kg at
3.9 per cent butterfat. Cows have a long lactation
curve and often adopt a second calf; some families
have a tendency to rear twins successfully.
The breed is an early maturing dual-purpose breed
and was ideally suited to the production of real
or "baby beef", slaughtered at less
than 15 months, in the mid 1900s. The Red Poll
was popular in its native East Anglia where it
adapted well to thriving on low-quality grazing.
The popularity of the breed was adversely affected
by the arrival of the commercial Friesian and
by the 1960s numbers had fallen significantly.
Red
Poll Cattle Beef
