Estonian Red cattle have evolved from continuous crossbreeding of the the native Estonian cattle with the Angler and Danish Red cattle. This crossbreeding started in the middle 1800's with the aim to create a breed which produced milk with a high fat content and an increased yield. Later on more attention was focused on weight and body size. The first Estonian Red animals were entered in the herdbook in 1885.
The Estonian Red started to spread throughout Estonia towards the end of the 19th Century although a great number of herds perished during World War 1 and 2. In 1916 there were 269,000 cows which was reduced to 225,000 by 1920. more...
