The Afrikaner cows are a breed of beef cattle indigenous to South Africa. It’s also known as the Africander also it is mainly raised for meat production. The Khoikhoi herded huge herds of the type of cattle when the Dutch created the Cape Colony. Before migrating into Africa ancestors of the strain are believed to originated on the Asian Steppes.
The cattle were utilized by the Khoikhoi for both milk and meat production. They were used chiefly after European settlement as an animal. But they are raised mainly as a beef cattle breed for meat production.
Southwards slowly moved. The Afrikaner cows are a breed of cows. They discuss coancestry with all the Nguni and Drakensberger cattle breeds, and they probably diverged 655-960 years back.
Afrikaner Cattle Characteristics
The Afrikaner cattle breed is a medium to large animal usually reddish color. It is well muscled with long legs and body that is. It’s the small hump, which is typical of Sanga cattle type. Both bulls and cows have horns. Their horns are long and lateral that turn upwards. But their horns are often polled in operations. Legs of the Afrikaner cattle are slightly sickle-shaped. The bulls are larger compared to cows, although the height of both cows and bulls is around 152 cm. The average body weight of the mature cows is between 450 and 600 kg. And live body weight of the bulls ranges from 820 to 1090 kg.
The Afrikaner cows are creatures that are extremely hardy, and they are well adapted for their local hot, moist conditions. Their skin contains twice as many sweat pores because of the European cattle breeds. They have good immunity.
They are very simple to manage and have character. They’re more economical to increase, and also a large number of cattle can be kept as cattle that are European on the same plot of land. The cows are very fertile and they can continue to calve over their age of 16 years (with documents showing cows calving at 21 decades old ).
The cows are usually moms and most frequently one cow will care for quite a few calves while their mothers graze elsewhere. The bulls that were Afrikaner also used for crossbreeding. The Bonsmara cattle breed is the result of crossing Afrikaners using Herefords and Shorthorns. Presently the breed is raised for meat production.
The total population of the breed became less, and they nearly became extinct. The first studbook was made in 1912 in South Africa so as to control the breed’s development. Even though a high degree of inbreeding occurred mainly due to the recently depleted amounts of these animals.
Until the 1970s, the Afrikaner cattle would be the breed of cows in South Africa. However, their popularity diminished among the regional farmers due to the difficulties related to lowered fertility, inbreeding and decreased reproductive period. Motives for decreasing their population include crossbreeding with exotic cattle breeds as well as the introduction of the Brahman cattle.
The strain is distributed in South Africa, and also available in Zimbabwe and Australia.
Afrikaner Cattle Breed Information
| Breed Name | Afrikaner |
| Other Name | Africander |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly meat |
| Special Notes | Well adapted to native climates, good for meat production, well muscled, good resistance to tick-borne diseases, economical to raise, good temperament, easy to handle, good fertility, cows are very maternal, used for crossbreeding |
| Breed Size | Medium to large |
| Weight Bulls | 820-1090 kg |
| Cows | 450-600 kg |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates |
| Coat Color | Usually deep red colored |
| Horned | Yes |
| Milk Yield | Poor |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country/Place of Origin | South Africa |
