More of the 'Hood (Florida Cracker Cattle)

 Also known as Florida Long-horns, Florida Piney Woods, Florida Scrub.

This breed of cattle were descended from cattle brought here in the 1500's by the Spanish.  They were bred to withstand extreme weather and a resistence to insects (particularly mosquitoes).  They have been listed as the number five most endangered domestic species. 

Originally free range, the nutrition level for them was low.  Also, the piney woods and scrub vegetation habitats seem to have an effect on the size and shape of the long-horns in the Florida breed.  The horns of theTexas longhorns tend to grow straight outward.  Whereby Florida's Cracker Cattle have horns that tend to grow upward, often rising up quickly. 

Florida Cracker cattle size varies from 500 pounds to 1000 pounds.  The smaller animals are sometimes referred as "guinea" cattle.

Unlike most dairy cattle, where the coloring is often distinctive to the breed (i.e.--Jerseys are brown; Holsteins are black and white, etc.), Cracker Cattle have all kinds of color variations--all brown, spotted like Pinto/painted horses, black, tan, sprinkling of white, roaning.  Historically the color was more likely to be solid--reddish roan, black or brown.  These variations are believed to have possibly come about through some breeding with the family milk cows.  Many variations of coloration are acceptable.

For more information on Cracker Cattle
http://crackercattle.org/

Old Florida Style: A Story of Cracker Cattle
by Steve Kidd, Alex Menendez