Bretonne Pie Noir

The Bretonne Pie Noir is a French breed of small dairy cattle from Brittany, in north-western France. It originates from Cornouaille and the Pays de Vannes in the départements of Finistère and Morbihan. Due to its small size, modest requirements, good productivity and ability to exploit poor and marginal terrain, it was well suited to traditional Breton agriculture. A herdbook was established in 1886. The breed was in the past numerous; at the beginning of the twentieth century there were about. Numbers fell drastically during that century, and in 1976, when about remained, a breed conservation plan was begun, the first such for any breed of cattle.

Characteristics

The Bretonne Pie Noir is pied black and white; a red pied variant disappeared during the twentieth century. Height at the withers averages for males, for females; average weight is for bulls, for cows.

Use

The milk yield of the Bretonne Pie Noir is about per lactation. The milk has fat and protein. Some is used to make, a traditional Breton fermented milk product.