From before the days of Friesian-Holstein dairy dominance, here is an extract from V C Fishwick’s Dairy Farming: Theory and Practice. It was first published in 1947.
You ask why do I keep Red Polls? Well, if you were starting a herd, what would you want? To be commercial cows must give a good average yield, wear well and be cheap to feed; they must be docile to handle and yard well. The steers, and old cows when finished as milkers, should make high-grade carcases.
Red Poll cattle will, in my view, meet all thee requirements . My average yield for the herd has now been 900 gal. or more for several years, and the milk shows about 3.7% butter fat. The cows do not give as high “peak” yields as some breeds, but they will keep milking for a long period. Often it is difficult to dry them off. They certainly wear well too. At one time I had 10 cows in the herd all of which were over 12 years old. When I started dairying I kept several different types and formed the opinion that the Red Polls consumed much less food than did cows of other breeds. They are quiet to manage, and this means less space in the yards – I can carry 30 Red Polls in my yard, but it would only hold 20 cows of a horned breed. Any butcher who has handled Red Polls will testify to the quality of their carcase.
Encouraging news for our cheesemaking plans! Slightly more up to date info on the performance of Red Polls as dairy cows can be found on the Red Poll cattle society website.
Welcome to the online home of the Wodehill herd of pedigree Red Poll cattle and flock of pedigree Shetland sheep. Based in North Bedfordshire we grow traditional breeds to produce beef, lamb and wool. Our animals spend a significant proportion of their time carrying out conservation grazing on Wildlife Trust sites in the area. We operate a non-intensive, grass based system to promote high welfare, slow growth and fantastic flavour in the final product.
