Gloucester (bovine race)

---- |----- |----- | colspan=2 align=" center" | missing Image |----- |----- ! bgcolor=" pink" colspan=" 2" | Name binominal Boss taurus
or Boss primigenius taurus,
or Boss primigenius F. taurus
Linnaeus, 1758 |----- |----- | Origin | England, Gloucestershire |----- | Diffusion | Local, preserved race |----- | Size | Average |----- | Dress | Black magpie |----- | Use | Mixed |----- |} The gloucester is a bovine race British.

History

The origin

The history of the race kerry refers to the black cattle brought to the Neolithic by the Celtes. The gloucester could come from this population, métissé later with Scandinavian bovines brought by the Vikings.

The golden age

It is known since the 13th century in the county of Gloucestershire. It was famous for its milk transformed into cheese, its maternal aptitude to raise its calves and its meat of quality. Manpower of the race believed with the fame of its cheese. At the 16th century, an important cheese market and butter are created with Gloucester. With XVIIe and 18th centuries, the cheese is sold until London.

Decline

Between 1745 and 1756, an epidemic of bovine Peste devastates the herds. The production crumbles and the whole area is disaster victim. To find a productive herd quickly, cows are bought in the north of the country. They are Longhorn S. They show their capacity quickly dairy and their potential butcher is higher than the " vieilles" gloucester. They are, in addition, more profitable in intensive breeding which begins with the rural migration. The fate of the gloucester is sealed, manpower fall. They will arrive at 68 individuals in 1972.
Cependant, some savage partisans of the pretty black cow still misent on its conservation. In 1909, the duke of Beaufort creates a herd with Badminton. A herd book is open in 1919, in order to stop the crossings: 130 animals are accepted in 14 breedings. In 1950, the herd of Badminton is dispersed: the owners were wearied problems of infertility. Of another owners jetent sponge. There remain only some dispersed individuals that the owners cannot reproduce without resorting to males of other races.

The revival

In 1973, on the initiative of Charles Martell, the herd book is reopened with 70 animals out of 20 exploitations. They are 165 in 1981. 1994 is the year when one celebrates the 75 years of the opening of the herd-book. In 1996, a software is created to index the various families and to manage consanguinity as well as possible. In 1998, a mark is deposited to be affixed on the produist resulting from this race. In 2000, on the racial register 700 heads are registered. In 2001, the epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease makes re-appear fears. A hundred animals disappear, but the remainder is except, making it possible to continue already accomplished work. In 2002,642 animals are registered, including 24 bulls.

Morphology

It wears a beautiful brown-black dress luisante. The head and the legs are black, the mucous membranes too. (turn of the eyes, boor) a white line court of the belly, with the back train and on the dorsal line. The tail is white.
Elle is of intermediate size: 125-135 cm with the garrot.

Aptitudes

It is a mixed race. Its very rich milk gave its noble letters to the Double Gloucester, a local cheese, although it is produced today with the milk of other races.
La revival of the race was accompanied by the redécouverte of an old cheese, the Stinking bishop, worked out mainly with milk of gloucester.

Anecdotes

Concurrently to these agricultural qualities, the gloucester is a soft race which tames down well. Following the work made for the revival of this race, it was proposed to adopt a cow which is high in a farmer. This passion led to its appearance as a pet. It mows the lawn of the ground, answers when it is called and let the children go up on his back.
Its color and its white line make think of the Scandinavian cows. It would not be surprising that it is, in the beginning, a race of the branch Celtique, crossed with a race of the branch Nordique brought by the Viking S.
It resembles by many points the French race Bordelaise. Have can be a common origin?

Notes and references of the article

See too

Bovine. bovine Breeding
List of the bovine races. bovine Breeding in Great Britain

External bonds and documents

(in) the site of the race Gloucester
(it) the card of the gloucester

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