Knowledge Base: The Red Poll as a Suckler Cow

The advantages of the Red Poll as a suckler cow are:

• Efficient converter of forage requiring little or no additional feed
• Easy calving
• Long lived thus fewer replacements needed
• Will adapt to single or multiple suckling
• Will calve to any terminal sire
• Will outwinter, however cold and wet, if properly fed
• Excellent quality beef • Naturally polled
• Calm and easy to handle
• Excellent mothers
• Will adapt very well to either extensive (and organic) or intensive systems

Steers finish at 22-24 months weighing about 550kg (depending on feeding regime), however, many breeders are finishing stock between 17-19 months at about 500kg. The killing out percentage is about 54% and the meat is of excellent quality in both taste and texture.

Heifers, if calved at around three years, will develop into cows able to withstand the pressures of many years of trouble free production. The mature cow averages 520 kg and an adult bull around 1000kg.

A significant number of herds are Signet recorded.