Monchina

The monchina is a bovine race Spanish.

Origin and manpower

It is originating in the Basque Country Spanish and Cantabrie. It would result from crossings between races blonde and brown with fawn-coloured dress. Manpower are weak: 1700 animals of which less than 300 cows and 5 bulls registered with the herd book (open in 1998) and the race is in danger since 70% of the cows are crossed with males of other races. The seed of a male is preserved.

Morphology

It wears a fawn-coloured dress with nuances active of the red to the brown one. The mucous membranes are dark and the horns in half the moon opened upwards.
C' is a modest race of size. The cow measures 123 cm with the garrot and weighs approximately 275 kg. The bull measures 128 cm for 470kg.

Aptitudes

It is an old race of work reconverted into the production of meat. It is very rustic and exploits an environment of wooded hills well not very favourable with the bovine breeding. It is able to live all the year in the open air, to benefit from its thin pitance and to reconstitute its reserves after one period of food shortage. It is sharp and nimble and can be dangerous for those which do not know it. It is with half sauvage.
La cow is a good mother. She vèle only, nourishes her calf well and can defend it. She reproduces a long time. The meat is re-elected for its savor and the low level of fat contents. It belongs to the races recommended for obtaining name " meat of Cantabrique". The crossing with races bouchères gives excellent results, but it is one of the reasons of its progressive disappearance.

External bonds

(be) Races monchina with photographs. (pages 5 and 6)

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