The Parthenaise is a French cattle breed named for the town of Parthenay in the Deux-Sèvres department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of western France. It used to be raised for milk, meat, and draught work, but now it's primarily raised for beef. The Parthenaise is part of a group of wheaten-colored cattle in western France and is related to the Maraîchine, Nantaise, and the extinct Marchoise and Berrichonne. The cattle were used for agricultural work in Haut-Poitou, Saintonge, Touraine, and the Vendée.
The breed was named by Eugene Gayot in 1860, who identified Parthenay as the main center of production. A herd-book was established in 1893 or 1894 and since then, the population has declined due to the mechanization of agriculture and competition from other breeds. The breed's population has been increasing since 1971 when it was decided to select only for beef production. In 2000, the distinction between the modern Parthenaise and the traditional Maraîchine was based on the bulls used for reproduction. The Parthenaise has been exported to Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the UK.
The coat ranges from light to dark wheaten and has grey rings around the muzzle and eyes. The skin is black and so are the mucosa, hooves, switch, and ear edges. The horns are lyre-shaped. Calves reach an average weight of 165 kg at 120 days and average about 278 kg at 210 days.
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About Parthenaise Cattle
