catl:cattle

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catl:cattle [2025/12/06 12:10] – Dave Darbycatl:cattle [2026/04/06 12:04] (current) – Simon Grant
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-# Cattle+This topic is part of [[gt:gardening|Gardening, smallholding & farming]]. 
 +====== Cattle ======
  
  
-![](https://www.lowimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/cattle.jpg)+![Cattle](catl:cattle.jpg)
  
 --- ---
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-## What are cattle?+===== What are cattle? =====
  
 They are those familiar four-legged bovine animals, kept for [meat](/butc/butchery) or [dairy](/dair/dairying), or both – plus their extremely useful by-products, leather and dung. Oxen, the term used for any trained bovine, have also performed an important role as draught animals throughout history and even today throughout the world they still outnumber horses as the primary draught animal. The ancient forerunner of almost all domestic cattle was the [Aurochs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurochs), which roamed Europe, Africa and Asia, and was ancestor to all European breeds, plus the African Zebu cattle. The Aurochs became extinct in the 17th century. They are those familiar four-legged bovine animals, kept for [meat](/butc/butchery) or [dairy](/dair/dairying), or both – plus their extremely useful by-products, leather and dung. Oxen, the term used for any trained bovine, have also performed an important role as draught animals throughout history and even today throughout the world they still outnumber horses as the primary draught animal. The ancient forerunner of almost all domestic cattle was the [Aurochs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurochs), which roamed Europe, Africa and Asia, and was ancestor to all European breeds, plus the African Zebu cattle. The Aurochs became extinct in the 17th century.
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 <caption> <caption>
-Members of an off-grid community in France hand-milking their Montbéliard cows. +_Members of an off-grid community in France hand-milking their Montbéliard cows._
 </caption> </caption>
  
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 <caption> <caption>
-Holsteins have been selected for milk production. +_Holsteins have been selected for milk production._
 </caption> </caption>
  
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 <caption> <caption>
-Dexter mother and calf on a smallholding in Lanarkshire. +_Dexter mother and calf on a smallholding in Lanarkshire._
 </caption> </caption>
  
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-## What are the benefits of keeping cattle?+===== What are the benefits of keeping cattle? =====
  
 - traditional / rare breeds are usually easier to manage, with less to go wrong; they tend to be hardier, can be outside all year, and breed for longer (Belgian Blues commonly breed for 7 years, Dexters for 15) - traditional / rare breeds are usually easier to manage, with less to go wrong; they tend to be hardier, can be outside all year, and breed for longer (Belgian Blues commonly breed for 7 years, Dexters for 15)
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 <caption> <caption>
-South Devon, North Devon, Angus, Simmental and Belgian Blue cattle on an organic beef farm near Bristol+_South Devon, North Devon, Angus, Simmental and Belgian Blue cattle on an organic beef farm near Bristol_
  
 </caption> </caption>
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-## What can I do?+===== What can I do? =====
  
 **Preparation:** cattle are big animals and therefore need space, but they don’t require much work. Make sure you have storage space for hay. It’s cheaper to buy hay in bulk straight off the field and store it yourself, than to buy it after it’s been stored somewhere else. If you have the shelter of trees and [hedges](/hedg/hedges), you don’t necessarily need a shed, but if you don’t, you can build a 3-sided shed for them to find shelter from the worst weather. You’ll need a trailer or a friendly local farmer / smallholders’ group to borrow one from. Find one of these groups first if you can, and go and see cattle kept on a small scale, or go [WWOOFing](/wwoo/wwoofing) on a farm or smallholding that has cattle. **Preparation:** cattle are big animals and therefore need space, but they don’t require much work. Make sure you have storage space for hay. It’s cheaper to buy hay in bulk straight off the field and store it yourself, than to buy it after it’s been stored somewhere else. If you have the shelter of trees and [hedges](/hedg/hedges), you don’t necessarily need a shed, but if you don’t, you can build a 3-sided shed for them to find shelter from the worst weather. You’ll need a trailer or a friendly local farmer / smallholders’ group to borrow one from. Find one of these groups first if you can, and go and see cattle kept on a small scale, or go [WWOOFing](/wwoo/wwoofing) on a farm or smallholding that has cattle.
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 <caption> <caption>
-Zebu cattle are a popular dairy breed in Africa and Asia.+_Zebu cattle are a popular dairy breed in Africa and Asia._
  
 </caption> </caption>
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 <caption> <caption>
-Smallholder showing a chequebook-style cattle passport (left) – which changed to a single page document (right) for all animals born since 1 August 2011.+_Smallholder showing a chequebook-style cattle passport (left) – which changed to a single page document (right) for all animals born since 1 August 2011._
  
 </caption> </caption>
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 <caption> <caption>
-Linocut print of a Dexter.+_Linocut print of a Dexter._
  
 </caption> </caption>
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 <caption> <caption>
-Belted Galloway - another hardy, Scottish breed good for smallholders.+_Belted Galloway - another hardy, Scottish breed good for smallholders._
  
 </caption> </caption>
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 <caption> <caption>
-Reasons that Dexters make the ideal family / smallholder cow+_Reasons that Dexters make the ideal family / smallholder cow_
  
 </caption> </caption>
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-## Further resources+===== Forum ===== 
 + 
 +This topic belongs to the section [[gt:gardening|Gardening, smallholding & farming]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/gardening). 
 + 
 +===== Further resources =====
  
 - [Gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-recommendations-for-the-welfare-of-livestock-cattle) - welfare of beef and dairy cattle - [Gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-recommendations-for-the-welfare-of-livestock-cattle) - welfare of beef and dairy cattle
 - [HSE](https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais35.pdf) - handling and housing cattle - [HSE](https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais35.pdf) - handling and housing cattle
-- [HSE](https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais35.pdf) - handling and housing cattle +- [Organic Livestock Marketing Co-op](https://www.olmc.co.uk/) 
-- [HSE](https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais35.pdf) - handling and housing cattle +- [Raising your own beef for your family](https://www.backwoodshome.com/raising-your-own-beef-for-your-family/) 
-- [HSE](https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais35.pdf) - handling and housing cattle +- [British Cattle Veterinary Association](https://www.bcva.org.uk/) 
-- [HSE](https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais35.pdf) - handling and housing cattle+- [Cattle breeds](https://cattleinternationalseries.weebly.com/) 
 + 
 + 
 + 
 +===== Related topics =====
  
 +- [Cheesemaking](chee:cheesemaking)
 +- [Smallholding](smho:smallholding)
 +- [Keeping livestock](livs:livestock)
 +- [Leatherwork](leat:leatherwork)
 +- [Dairying](dair:dairying)
 +- [Meadows, grass & pasture](mdws:meadows)
 +- [Skins & hides](skin:skins)
 +- [Fences](fenc:fences)
 +- [Hedges](hedg:hedges)
 +- [Butchery & meat](butc:butchery)
 +- [Biogas](biog:biogas)
  
-## Specialists+===== Specialist curators of this topic =====
  
  
  • catl/cattle.1765023014.txt.gz
  • Last modified: 2025/12/06 12:10
  • by Dave Darby