Spreading the Hungarian Gray Cattle on Hortobágy

Spreading the Hungarian Gray Cattle on Hortobágy is always an important event, as these beautiful animals can only get enough food if they are ringed twice a year. In the pictures, a 150-piece of Gray Gattle is driven from their winter accommodation to spring pastures. This was now a 19 km route, which they also have to make to the way back home at the end of October.

Spreading the Hungarian Gray Cattle on Hortobágy

Grazing is still the most important element of keeping and feeding Hungarian gray cattle. Breeders count on an average of 215 grazing days a year, but this is heavily weather-dependent. Grazing usually lasts until the first snow, while the cattle do not get any forage or other supplements.

In the winter they receive hay, straw and corn stalks. It is forbidden to feed gray cattle with any industrial feeds or product feed. There are still significant stocks in other national parks that play a major role in the rescue of the breed (Hortobágy National Park, Kiskunság National Park and Fertő-Hanság National Park).

Photo:  Czeglédi Zsolt/MTI/MTVA