East Anatolian Red

East Anatolian Red cattle are a native Turkish cattle breed from the high, cold, and often rugged provinces of eastern Anatolia. Known in Turkey as Dogu Anadolu Kirmizisi, they are typically red to reddish brown, small to medium in size, and built for survival on sparse forage rather than maximum output. The breed has traditionally served village farms as a dual-purpose animal, supplying milk, calves, manure, and in some places draft power.

Management is usually extensive or semi-extensive, with grazing during the growing season and stored roughage through severe winters. Their value lies in hardiness, thrift, calving ability, and adaptation to local disease and climate pressures, but milk and growth are modest compared with specialized modern breeds. For conservation herds and regional breeding programs, maintaining pure or well-documented lines is important because crossbreeding has reduced many native Anatolian cattle populations. Buyers should expect a functional local breed, not a high-input dairy or feedlot specialist.

Colors: Belted, Black, Black and White, Blaze Faced, Blue Roan, Brindle, Brockle Faced, Brown, Brown and White, Dun, Gray, Grey, Highbelt, Highpark, Lineback, Mottled, Pied, Red, Red and White, Red Roan, Riggit, Roan, Silver, Solid Black, Solid Red, Solid White, Speckled, Spotted, White, White Faced, Yellow