Tommy, a 13-year-old Brown Swiss from Cheshire, in Massachusets, was recently crowned the world’s tallest living steer, measuring an impressive 1.87m(6ft 1in).
Tommy the steer has been living with the Balawender family on their farm in Cheshire since he was just one day old, after being bought for just about $10. It’s safe to say that he is worth a bit more than that today, but the Balawender see him more as a member of the family than an asset, so they are not considering selling him. Brown Swiss cattle generally have large bodies for dairy cows, but they are considered a medium-sized breed, which makes Tommy somewhat of a freak of nature. A typical Brown Swiss cow weighs between 1,300 to 1,400 pounds, while bulls can reach 2,000 pounds. Tommy weighs about 3,000 pounds, which makes him heavy even for his breed, and he has the frame to match the weight – 1.87 meters (6ft 1in).
Photo: Guinness Records
The world’s tallest steer was a significantly larger calf than the average of his breed, but the Balawender never expected him to one day become a Guinness Record holder. Despite his intimidating size, Tommy is a gentle giant with a calm and peaceful demeanor, which is partly explained that he is a steer (castrated bull). Bulls can be extremely dangerous and hard to control.
Tommy consumes 30 pounds of dry grain, over 75 pounds of hay, and drinks 35-40 gallons of water per day. He is a big fan of apples, and his master has spent a small fortune at the local market just to keep him happy.
“Tommy also cruises the pasture for wild apple trees and is so incredibly smart that he knows how to push against the trees and shake the apples down,” Laurie Balawender told Guinness Records.
Interestingly, the world’s largest domesticated cattle breed is the Chianina, known for true bovine giants even larger than Nickers, the giant Australian steer.
For more giants of the animal world, check out the world’s largest breed of rabbit, and the Jersey Giants, the largest chickens on Earth.
