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The Welsh Black is possibly one of the oldest pure breeds of cattle in the world today owing to the isolation the Welsh Mountains have provided. Referred to in the earliest of Welsh literature, the Welsh Black cattle have been in Wales since pre-Roman times.
To survive as a pure breed for hundreds of years, they must have the key qualities needed to reproduce, survive and fatten, easily and economically.
The Welsh Blacks have proven themselves and remain one of the hardiest breed cattle in the world today. From Wales, over the past 30 years they have travelled to Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Uganda and Jamaica.
In each of these countries, the Welsh Blacks have adapted admirably and are proving a profitable breed for the following key reasons:
Neither cold or rain seem to worry them, as the experience of Canadian and New Zealand Breeders have confirmed. It is common to see them grazing happily in the open in driving rain or snow, when other types of cattle have gone in search of shelter. They develop a thick winter coat, which is usually shed in Spring. This coat will persist as long as is needed, indefinitely if needed. If on the other hand, the temperature is permanently high, they remain quite sleek. (Important note: Owing to the harsh environment in which the Welsh Black cattle have evolved over the centuries they have developed the ability to convert foods of high fibre content into both milk and meat. Like red deer, they have developed a bacterial flora in the rumen capable of breaking down the vegetable fibre, thus making survival possible in conditions which would mean starvation for less well adapted breeds.)
To some extent the harsh hills of Wales have culled the poor mothers and difficult calvers from the breed, so today the Welsh Black has evolved to be a breed noted for its ease of calving and its strong mothering instinct, where even the notoriously difficult European breed cross calf does not worry it. Welsh Black cows have a large reproductive tract which opens very wide before calving.
Once a calf is born it gets absolute priority on it's mother's body resources, and even cows that have a difficult season will rear an excellent calf. It is not unusual in such circumstances to see a depleted looking cow suckling a big strong calf. Traditionally, cattle on Welsh farms were managed by women folk, so that the Welsh cow is the inheritor of a long emphasis on not only quantity, but also quality of its milk. Also the farmer's wife was loathe to look after unruly cows, so the bad tempered cows or poor milkers were gradually culled, and the bulls bred from the best lines. A typical cow gives approximately 4000 litres in an even lactation of 9-11 months so that the calf is not confronted with a great surge of milk while too young to cope, yet still gets plenty later on when it needs the nourishment for maximum growth.
Welsh Blacks live to an unusually old age, and keep breeding. It is common for cows of 15 - 20 years to calve regularly and a female is considered in her prime when 10 - 15 years of age. This has an important bearing on herd profitability. The longer a mothering cow can be kept, the less replacements are needed and the higher the cash returns from the sale of surplus stock.
The bulls are noted for their fertility, able to join in any weather condition with a high sperm count. One Australian breeder used semen frozen over 30 years ago and the result was a healthy heifer calf from one insemination. Heifers will begin their productive cycling at approximately 8 months. After calving the females will usually resume cycling at 3 weeks.
If any one breed factor can be said to govern the profitability of beef herds, it is probably the cattle's growth rate. The quicker they put on meat, the quicker can their commercial value be realised. It is not generally appreciated that Welsh Blacks are amongst the fastest growing of the British breeds, both in their rate of growth and weights for age.
The longer hair in winter and the excellent digestive system ensures maximum muscle and least amount of fat produced. At the same time the meat is generally marbled. Carcass competitions in Britain, New Zealand and Australia have confirmed this.
Currently there are approximately 500 registered Welsh Black Cattle in Australia.
Further Information can be obtained from:
Information for this page provided courtesy of the Australian Welsh Black Cattle Society Inc.
Last updated 3 March 2008
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| Produced by - Cheryl Hardy Flowerdale, Victoria |