Dutch Belted Cattle Breed – Everything You Need to Know

Dutch Belted cattle are of moderate size and one of the most efficient cattle breeds. They are intelligent and have a very friendly disposition. This makes them a top choice for the small homestead and or family farm. They are very beautiful, and some consider them to be one of the worlds most beautiful cow breeds with their solid coloring broken by a band of white around their midriff.

DUTCH BELTED BREED OF CATTLE QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
The Dutch Belted cow is very beautiful and holds itself with an air of dignity as it calmly grazes and foragers around the pastures.
Country of Origin:	Netherlands
Other Names:	Lakenvelder
Main Purpose:	Milk
You may Also Like:	35 Best Cattle Breeds for Milk – Dairy Cattle
You may Also Like:	47 Best Cattle Breeds for Meat – Beef Cattle
Can be used for	Breed, Milk
Ideal Climate:	Heat, Cold, Most Climates
Conservation Status:	Listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity: Critical
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Cattle?	Novice to intermediate Cattle farmer/keeper level
Cattle Associations:	Dutch Belted Cattle Association of America
Cattle Clubs:	Please refer to the Dutch Belted Cattle Association of America for more information on the Dutch Belted Cattle breed
Where to buy them?	>Please refer to the Dutch Belted Cattle Association of America for more information on the Dutch Belted Cattle breed
Child Friendly?	Livestock should not be left unattended around unsupervised children
General Information:	The Dutch Belted cattle breed has been a standardized breed since the 1700s. It is also called the Lakenvelder in Dutch with the word Laken meaning blanket or sheet around the body. The Dutch belted are excellent breeders that breed well into their advanced years producing good strong calves.
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

They are referred to as one of the most beautiful cow breeds and they really are. They have a pretty heart-shaped face with their noses slightly upturned. They have large alert fluffy ears and a full compact muscular body with medium sized legs.

Size:

Medium

CATTLE ⇒	COW	BULL
Breed Color:	Black with a white belt or dusky red with a white belt	Black with a white belt or dusky red with a white belt
Breed Weight:	410 to 680 kgs	910 kgs
Breed Height:	Unclear	Unclear
Horns:	Long horns that curve upwards at the ends	Long horns that curve upwards at the ends
Temperament:	Docile and easy to manage	Docile and easy to manage
Matures at age:	6 to 8 months or 9 + months	6 to 8 months or 9 + months
Puberty Age:	6 to 15 months	9 to 1o months
Breeding Age:	13 to 15 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	See Cow breeding & Milking Info	Cover 25 to 30 Cows in 1 season

COW BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION
Most Cattle produce milk but not all of them are used in the dairy Cattle capacity for their milk. Cows only calve once a year and should have 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. They are a really good dairy cow, an exceptional mother with excellent mothering instincts. They have easy births with little to no birthing problems and have healthy robust young calves which they vigorously protect. Their milk is of high quality and good flavor with small fat globules.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 6 to 24 hours Most ave. 12 to 16 hours Cows usually come on heat every 21 days.
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days to 24 days Heifer – usually ave. 20 days Cows – usually ave. 21 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 279 to 287 days but most gestation is 283 days. Cows that are carrying bull calf’s their gestation period is usually a little longer than cows that are carrying heifer calves.
No. Calves/Litter:	1 calf at a time. Cows rarely have twins or triplets, but it can happen
Lactation Period:	Cows lactation period can last for up to about 10 months (305) days.
Milking From:	1 to 6 weeks after Calving
Drying off Period:	The cow should have a 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. Drying off period for around 60 days before she can calve again.
Milk Quality:	Good, Butterfat = 3.5-5.5%, Quantity: 9100 kgs per Lactation period
Milk Ideal for:	Calves, drinking, cheese, and other dairy products
You may Also Like:	35 Best Cattle Breeds for Milk – Dairy Cattle

CATTLE MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Dutch Belted cattle breed are not bred for their meat production and are a breed that is currently listed by the American Livestock Conservancy as critically endangered.

Meat Production?

N/A

CATTLE ⇒	VEAL	BEEF
Ave. Maturity Age:	6 to 8 months	9 months up to 4 years

CATTLE SKIN PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Most meat Cattle will have a skin by-product, and these are usually used in some form or just as a hide. They are no used for meat so there is not really any hide by-product nor are they specifically bred for their hide production as they are a rare dairy breed of cattle.

Skin Production?

N/A

Skin is used to Produce:

Calf/cow skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, handbags, belts, furniture, rugs, etc.

CATTLE ⇒	CALF	ADULT
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months for Calf skin	1 to 2 years old for Normal leather

HISTORY

Austria and Switzerland are the countries of origin for the original belted cattle. Dutch nobility moved their prized breeds to the Netherlands in the late 16th to 17th century. They were kept and farmed nearly exclusively by the Dutch who were not too fond of selling or sharing their prized dairy breed.

They were not a widely popular breed and as a result, their numbers dwindled badly and by the end of World War Two, their numbers were sorely depleted. There were only around four to five herds of the Dutch Belted in Holland by 1950.

Efforts were undertaken in 1970 to try and revive the breed in its homeland as semen was imported back to Holland from American bulls. The numbers have started to increase and as of 2007 there were was a more healthy number of the breed recorded but they are still considered rare given that there is less than 1000 head of Dutch Belted cattle worldwide.

The first Dutch Belted to be introduced to America was done by the U.S. Consul of Holland. D.H. Haight of Goshen, New York imported them from Holland in 1838 with two more importation a few years later.

There were a few other notable imports after that one of which was from the famous showman P.T. Barnum who imported them as they struck his fancy in Holland and he wanted to show them in his circus. He exhibited them as a “rare aristocratic breed” but soon found out that they were also exceptionally good milkers and his herd was relocated to his farm in Orange County, New York.

The Dutch Belted Cattle Association of America was started in 1886 in New York and N.W. Howell was elected as the first President of the association. The first herd-book of the association recorded that there were 31 herds of Dutch Belted cattle in the United States of America.

In the 1980s a program to raise the price of milk saw the reduction of dairy cattle with a dairy buy out program with cows being sold for beef by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Many of the Dutch Belted breeds was lost because of this program put their numbers down to a critical level.

A handful of breeders took it upon themselves to keep the breed alive especially Kenneth and Winifred Hoffman who fought to do so. Their efforts have had a global impact on the breed as the semen from the Hoffman bulls have been used to help resurrect the breed in the Netherlands.

In 1993 the American Livestock Conservancy took over the management of the Dutch Belted herd book from the Dutch Belted Cattle Association of America. They facilitated the reorganization of the organization in order to help the survival of the breed. The revival efforts of the breed began with farmers who were interested in grass-based dairying and as of 2007, the Dutch Belted population was in a much better state.

The Dutch Belted Cattle Association took back management and ownership of their own registry in 2013.