Size
1150 – 1350 pounds.
Color
Light tan to deep cherry red.
Physical Appearance
They have lengthy lateral horns that range in color from flesh to creamy white with amber tips. There is also a polled variety. Africander cattle have a calm demeanor, a high level of tick resistance, good heat tolerance, and a satisfactory level of reproduction in challenging environments.
Characteristics and Genetics
Africander cattle, also known as Afrikaner cattle, are a native breed of South Africa that were created from the Khoi-Khoi cattle who were previously native to the Cape of Good Hope. When countless individuals perished from rinderpest or were slaughtered during the South African War, the breed came dangerously close to extinction. Since then, the breed has evolved into a competitive beef breed, and in 1912, it became the first native breed in South Africa to establish a breed society.
Uses
The Afrikaners provided milk and meat to the Khoikhoi. After European colonization, Afrikaners were predominantly utilized as draught animals and were frequently driven in big teams of up to 14 animals. They were valued by the voortrekkers and were bred and improved to better serve this function. Although less frequently, they were also employed as dairy cows since they produced butter with higher fat contents than other breeds of cattle and didn’t require an additional diet. The carts that carried the Voortrekkers on the Great Trek were drawn by Afrikaner oxen.
Commercial
Afrikaners are used to produce beef commercially, and they are frequently crossed with other breeds to increase the meat’s quality, especially in terms of tenderness and their greater capacity to gain weight on subpar pasture. The South African Breed Society encourages using Afrikaners as a crossbreeding dam line.
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