North American Dairy Breeds - Norwegian Red

Also Know By: Norsk rødt fe (Norway)

This breed designation originated in 1961 when the Norwegian Red-and-White, Red Trondheim and the Red Polled Østland. Later in 1963 the Døle was also absorbed into the designation and in 1968 South and West Norwegians were added. Others breeds which have been said to contribute to the gene pool include Ayshires, Swedish Red-and-Whites, Friesians and Holsteins. By 1975, 98% of the Norwegian national herd belonged to this designation. Using the classical definition the Norwegian Red cannot be considered a breed. It is an amalgamation to develop superior strain of dual-purpose cattle. With time and selection this designation may develop into a breed but this is not the case yet.

Cows are selected for milking potential, rate of milk flow and fertility, while bulls are selected on the basis of performance in a rate-of-growth test. Norwegian Red cattle do not express the external uniformity seen in true breed, although they are red or red-pied for the most part. Cows weigh about 495 kg; bulls about 900 kg. Milk yields average 5,804 kg per lactation.