Blue Albion facts for kids

The Blue Albion was a special type of cattle from Britain. It had a very unique blue roan coat, which means its fur was a mix of black and white hairs. This breed came from the English Midlands around the late 1800s or early 1900s. Farmers liked them because they were "dual-purpose," meaning they produced both beef (meat) and milk. Sadly, the Blue Albion breed disappeared after a serious animal disease outbreak in 1967.

Later, people worked to bring the breed back. They used other cattle to recreate it. This new version is called the Albion. It is now considered a very rare breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

History of the Blue Albion

The Blue Albion cattle first appeared in Derbyshire, England. This was in the late 1800s or early 1900s. They were created by mixing two other cattle breeds. These were the Southern Wales Black and white Dairy Shorthorn cows.

In 1916, a special record book was started for the breed. This book is called a herd-book. Only blue roan colored animals could be written in it. In 1920, a group called the Blue Albion Cattle Society was formed. This group helped manage the breed. The first herd-book was officially published in 1937.

Blue Albion cattle had horns. Their coat was a mix of black and white hairs, which made them look blue. This color is called blue roan. Sometimes, calves were born completely black or white. These calves could not be registered in the herd-book.

The Blue Albion was never a very large breed. It was mostly found in a small area. The breed society stopped meeting in 1940. It was officially closed down in 1966.

In 1967, there was a big animal disease outbreak in the Midlands. It was called the foot-and-mouth outbreak. Many cattle were killed to stop the disease from spreading. This included almost all the remaining Blue Albion cattle. By 1968, the breed was thought to be extinct. The very last bull was registered in 1972.

Bringing the Breed Back

Even after the breed was gone, some blue-colored cattle were still seen. These were mostly mixed breeds. They had blood from shorthorn and Friesian cows. But some people believed they might still have some genes from the original Blue Albion cattle.

In 1989, a new group was formed to bring the breed back. By 2002, a survey found 95 Blue Albion cattle. These animals might have come from the original breed. However, they probably had only a small amount of the original Blue Albion genes.

In 2018, the recreated breed was officially recognized. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust gave it a new name: Albion. Today, the Albion breed is considered "critically endangered." This means there are very few of them left, and they need protection.