Cachena are small cattle from Portugal. They are a
triple-purpose breed which are raised for milk, meat production, and also used
for draught purposes. Along with Protugal, they are also bred in Galicia,
Spain. Also there are similar but larger cattle available in Portugal which are
known as Barrosao or Barrosa cattle. Sometimes Barrosa and Cachena cattle are
considered different variants of the same breed. Cachena cattle were bred from
the brown and yellow local cattle in Northern Portugal. The breed was
originally bred in the Vila Real District in the past, which is an
agriculturally poor district in the extreme north of Portugal. In that area, the
climate is hot and dry in summer, and cold and humid in the winter. Little
fertile ground is available there.
Cachena cattle are distributed around the low mountain range
regions of the communities in the Spanish natural park Baixa Limia-Serra do
Xurés in the frontier region to Portugal. In addition they are spread in the
region around the Ourensic village Olelas and in the Portuguese Peneda-Geres
National Park. A Cachena Cattle herdbook was founded in 1990.
Cachena cattle are one of the smallest cattle breeds of the
world. They have a well-proportioned body and big lyre-shaped horns. They are
usually light brown to yellow with dark brown nuances around the whithers. The
average height of both bulls and cows is equal or less than 110 cm. But the
bulls are normally taller than the cows. Average live body weight of the mature
cows is around 390 kg. And the mature bulls on average weight around 550 kg.
About Cachena Cattle
