Lakenvelder cattle
The Dutch Belted (Lakenvelder) breed of dairy cattle is, according to records, the only belted breed of cattle tracing back directly to the original belted or "canvassed" cattle which were described in Switzerland and Austria. These "Gurtenvieh" were evidently moved by Dutch nobility from the mountain farms of Canton Appenzell and Tyrol Mountains during or soon after the feudal period. The Dutch were very protective of their belted cattle and would generally not part with them. The cattle were highly prized for their milking and fattening abilities. The breed began to flourish in the Netherlands around 1750.
Current races are more productive, but there are small scale initiatives to preserve the race.
Some Dutch belted cows produce over 9000kg of milk per lactation[1].
There is also a rare breed of domestic poultry called Lakenvelder that has this same belted colouring with a solid black neck hackle and black tail but with a pure white body.
See also
Notes
References
Professor Raymond Becker, Dairy Cattle Breeds: Origin and Development (ISBN 0-8130-0335-0)
External links
- www.dutchbelted.com Dutch Belted Cattle Association of America Website
- Dutch Belted Excerpt above from Oklahoma State University
- News release archive from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, April 13, 1998
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