Corsican cattle
History
The Corse is the traditional cattle breed of Corsica, formerly kept principally for draught work in agriculture.{{r|inra}} It is officially recognised by the Ministère de l'Agriculture et de l'Alimentation, the French ministry of agriculture, but no herd-book is kept.{{r|brg}}
Since the 1960s there has been intromission of several breeds from mainland France, among them the Aubrac, the Brune des Alpes, the Charolaise, the Gasconne, the Limousine and the Tarentaise.{{r|brg|tiho}} On low-lying pasture where there is abundant forage, cross-bred calves put on weight more rapidly than purebred indigenous stock; they are not suitable for rearing on the thinner grazing of mountainous areas, to which the Corse is well adapted.{{r|inra}} This cross-breeding has threatened the survival of the original Corse breed, which may now require conservation.{{r|marie|p=227}}
In 2001 there were 28,000 cows and 1,300 bulls for natural and 6 for artificial insemination. The numbers are stable and 60% of females reproduce purebred.
Morphology
The breed has a tan coat with shades ranging from blond to dark wheat and gray. The belly is often lighter. The mucous membranes are dark. The lyre-shaped horns are brought up. The breed is of small size and low weight. Cows measures {{Convert|1.15|m|abbr=on}} and {{Convert|280|kg|abbr=on}}, the bulls {{Convert|1.20|m|abbr=on}} and {{Convert|350|kg|abbr=on}}.
Use
File:Cows in Mausoléo 001.jpg.]]
Cattle in Corsica were traditionally used as draught animals in agriculture, particularly in cereal farming; cows gave a small quantity of milk, and oxen no longer fit for work yielded some beef.{{r|inra|marie|p2=227}} Following the decline in cereal farming in the island, the cattle are reared mostly for beef, usually from bullocks slaughtered at an age of 10 to 12 months ({{langx|co|manzu}}), when they have a live weight of some {{nobreak|140–180 kg}}. These a managed extensively, grazing freely on the maquis and woodland undergrowth of the mountains.{{r|marie|p=227}}
References
{{commonscat|Corse (cattle)}}
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Further reading
{{refbegin}}
- J.J. Hari, P. Franceschi, François Casabianca, J. Boscher, C.P. Popescu (1984). Etude cytogénétique d'une population de bovins corses (in French). Comptes rendus de l’Académie des sciences. Série III, Sciences de la vie. 15 (2): 191–199.
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{{Cattle breeds of France}}