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Charolais cattle

life science Maturity 5-7 Next article →

Charolais cattle are a special kind of beef cattle. They come from a part of France. This area is near the town of Charolles. It is in the Saône-et-Loire area. This place is in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. These animals are very important for meat.

These cattle have a very distinct look. Their coats can be white or wheat-colored. Some might look more cream-colored. Their noses are always a uniform pink. They are also very large animals. Bulls can weigh up to 1,150 kilograms. Cows can weigh up to 650 kilograms.

This breed has a long history in France. It is the second-most common breed there. It follows the Prim'Holstein in numbers. It is the most common beef breed in France. It is even more common than the Limousin. In 2014, the number of cows was down 0.6%.

Charolais cattle are found all over the world. Sixty-eight countries report them to DAD-IS. Thirty-seven of those countries give population data. The largest groups live in Mexico and the Czech Republic. They arrived in the southern United States in 1934. They came from Mexico to get there.

Farmers often use these cattle to make new breeds. They do this through cross-breeding. For example, they mix them with Brahman cattle. This creates a breed called the Charbray. In Brazil, they made the Canchim breed. That breed is 5/8 Charolais and 3/8 Indu-Brasil. Other mixes include Charford and Char-Swiss.

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