About Senepols

Senepol cattle have a solid red colour, ranging from dark red to a lighter ginger colour, and in general have a very short hair coat. They are are naturally polled and have good eye and skin pigmentation.

 

Senepols have a docile temperament, being easily managed and handled in extensive pastoral conditions.

 

The development of the breed placed high natural selection pressure on structural soundness, hardiness and fertility.

 

Senepols have a medium frame with extremes of muscle and bone avoided, striking a workable balance of feed efficiency to growth, fertility and calving ease.

 

Senepol Cattle: 

- reach puberty earlier than Bos Indicus breeds; 

 - females are renowned for their ease of calving, and calves for their fast 'get up and go' vigour;

 - heifers will calve as two year olds under normal management conditions;

longevity is well documented, breeders often still efficiently producing calves well into their teen years;

- average birthweight of calves is 34kg;

- average mature weight of cows is 550-650kg at pasture;

- bulls, 930kgs at pasture;

- bulls have a high libido, are fertile, and are enthusiastic breeders from an early age.

 

A pure Bos Taurus breed with Superior Heat Tolerance

 

Long term research findings by Dr Tim Olsen of USDA Subtropical Research Station, Brooksville, Florida established Senepol cows maintained a cooler rectal temperature than Brahman cows whilst grazing during the heat of the day.

 

These studies also found the F1 Senepol maintained rectal temperatures the same as full blood Senepols thereby indicating the ability to pass on the factor in crossbreeding.

 

Disease and Insect Resistance

 

Senepols have a greater immune response compared to other beef breeds. This capacity has largely been attributed to the N'Dama influence. N'Dama cattle are highly resistant to the Tsetse fly, a carrier of the disease Bovine Trypanosomiasis (Sleeping sickness). This trait is important in Australia as Buffalo fly is prevalent.

 

An identified (sleek coat) gene (Sk - Dr Tim Olsen) confers a very short haired, sleek coat when an animal carries a copy of the gene. To date Senepol is the only breed available in Australia that is known to be a carrier of this gene. The gene is also associated with the heat tolerance of the Senepol breed.

 

Smooth coated animals in tick infested country will carry less tick burden than hairy coated animals. The natural licking (grooming) process, as well as the animal's inherent tick resistance, greatly reduces tick larvae from maturing.

The Senepol and its slick haired crosses, from field counts conducted in Queensland, appears to have a very high level of genetic tick resistance.

 

Crossbreeding value 

 

Senepol offers cross-breeders excellent hybrid vigour from a tropically adapted Taurine breed, with a genetic package which has not been subjected to unbalanced 'single trait' selection. Senepol admirably complements tropical beef production where traditionally Bos Indicus derived breeds have been used.

 

Senepol are the ideal Bos Taurus for crossbreeding with British & European breeds in hotter country and for use in the development of tropical composite herds.

 

Origin and Characteristics

 

The N'Dama, a native (Bos Taurus) of Senegal, North West Africa was crossed with the British breed, Red Poll. The two breed composite was developed on the island of St Croix in the Caribbean, at the beginning of the 20th century. The breeding result realised the N'Dama's superior traits of heat tolerance, insect resistance and ability to thrive on poor quality forage, with the carcase quality, high fertility, feed efficiency, quiet nature and renowned maternal and milking ability of the Red Poll.

 

The Senepol has been a fixed breed now for almost a century.

 

The island environment of St Croix encompasses both wet tropics with high humidity and rainfall and hot, dry savanna country. Tropical parasites and cattle tick are abundant and the native feed low in quality. This 'home' of Senepol has produced a tough, adaptable breed of cattle with the ability to thrive under harsh conditions, maintaining fertility, tropical resistance and feed efficiency whilst producing an excellent eating quality carcase.