The Vaynol cattle
The Vaynol are a breed of cattle, which originates from a herd in Scotland. Their history dates back over 100 years, beginning with a semi-wild herd.
Vaynol cattle were originally established in 1872 in Vaynol Park, North Wales. Today the breed is one of the United Kingdom’s rarest breeds of cattle. There are less than 150 breeding animals registered in the United Kingdom. And they are now listed as “Critical” on the RBST list.
Currently, there are three different herds of Vaynol cattle (officially registered) existing in the United Kingdom. The breed is one of the two types of White Park Cattle, along with the Chillingham.
They are small to medium in size and have similarities with the White Park cattle. They are primitive and angular in appearance.
Their colours vary and can be completely black or white with black spots. The colouring of the spots is found on the ears, eyelids, nose, hooves and the point of the horns. And the animals sometimes have black socks.
The Vaynol cattle have curved hocks and a sloping rump.
The bulls have long horns, which are developed outside of the head. And their horns are flicked upwards. The cows do not have horns; they can have black teats on their udders. Bulls on average weigh about 400450 kg. And the average body weight of the cows is about 300-350 kg.
The Vaynol cattle are used for beef and leather production. They are also excellent for conservation grazing. Vaynol cattle were previously considered a wild cattle breed. But they are now considered semi-feral, mainly due to their current endangered status and thus increasing contact with humans.
The animals are small in size, but they are pretty hardy and strong. They are excellent for conservation grazing. As they are small and thrifty, they can survive on poor grazing. And their small size and pretty less weight than other cattle breeds make them less likely to damage sensitive swards and soft soils.
These animals are slow to grow and take a long time to mature.