In order for the heifers or bulls to meet the expectations of the breeder, it is not enough to acquire the first vending animals. It is necessary that the breeds of cows selected for the farm are adapted to the climate in a particular area and to be raised in a private backyard.
Descriptions and photos of cow breeds, the most demanded and popular in Russia and neighboring countries, will help to determine the choice and learn more about the existing varieties.
All breeds of cows, of which there are several hundred in the world, are divided into three types: meat, dairy and meat and milk. Russian diversity is much less. The number of breeds found in the country is limited to seven dozen, with most of them being dairy cow breeds. This choice has developed historically. The short summer in many regions and the cold winter, which deprived the cows of the juicy forage they needed, prevented good gains from meat animals. The cost of keeping animals in the cold season made the products much more expensive than other early maturing types of meat.
Although today dairy cow breeds in Russia are still popular and simply necessary, many farms, using foreign experience and their own developments, have begun raising modern meat animals.
Description
Dimensions (edit)
Cows are large, massive animals, their average weight is about 750 kg, can range from 147 to 1363 kg, height is in the range of 120-150 cm.
Appearance
The muzzle of the cow is large and wide, with a wide, flat forehead, covered with thick, curly fur on top. The neck is short and massive. There are two hollow horns on the head, and hornless individuals are also found. Horns grow upward or to the sides, lyre-shaped. Ears are low, in some species with "earrings". The eyes are large and protruding. The tail is long, thick, ends with a tassel, and is set high. The back is slightly arched. The thighs are large and flat. In the groin area is the udder, that is, the mammary gland, divided by a septum into two halves.
Body
The body of the cow is covered with short hair, painted in white, black, red or brown and their shades. The color is monochromatic, piebald and striped.
Dutch
The color is similar to the Kholmogory representatives, but the Dutch spots are more unevenly located on the body of the animal. Cows have a compact body with a well-developed chest, and the musculature is also well developed. Adult animals reach a height at the withers of up to 134 cm. The average milk yield in 365 days can reach 6000 kg.
Power features
Cows, like other cattle, belong to herbivorous animals
... Due to their anatomical structure, they are capable of digesting coarse, juicy and grain feed. Roughage is high in fiber and low in moisture (hay, twig, straw). Juicy forage, on the other hand, is rich in moisture (silage, grass, beets). Grain or concentrated feed have a high nutritional value (meal, cake, pelleted feed, grain: wheat, triticale, barley, oats, millet, sorghum, maize).
Feeding types
- bulky (a little concentrate),
- low-concentration,
- concentrate.
Optimal type of feeding
The most optimal is the former with about 70% of roughage and succulent feed.For livestock to be productive, animal supplements are included in its diet: bone meal, meat and bone meal, minerals, table salt, vitamins.
Cow spread
Origin
The ancestors of the domestic cow are wild bulls, for example, the tour, which has already become extinct in nature. The process of domestication of these animals began in the early Neolithic, after the domestication of the goat, sheep and pig. It took place in the territory from Altai to India and in Asia Minor. In Asia, turs were domesticated, and in Hindustan - zebu.
In the beginning, cattle were long-horned: in this form, they spread from Asia and from the Balkan Peninsula to Africa (about 7000 years ago) and Europe (about 5000 years ago). Small short-legged varieties originated in Europe and were known as Celtic or Iberian.
The first attempts to breed cows of certain qualities are attributed to the inhabitants of Ancient Rome. Then these issues were dealt with in the UK, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland. Thus, a wide range of modern breeds was created. All of them are smaller in size than the ancient varieties, over 3,000 years the size of domesticated cows has decreased by a third.
Care
Housing for the animal should be spacious enough (at least 23 sq. M.), Well-lit, without drafts, with dry, soft bedding and a good ventilation system. Comfortable temperature in winter is 6-12 ° C. The harness should not restrict the cow in movement. The room where the cow is located must be kept clean.
With regard to animals, the following measures should be taken:
- regularly brush the wool with special brushes,
- trim hooves,
- wash the udder daily before and after milking;
- swim in the warm season.
Common breeds
Subspecies
- Cow (Bos taurus taurus)
- Zebu (Bos taurus indicus) - differs in the presence of a hump on the back.
- Tour (Bos taurus primigenius) is an extinct wild ancestor of the domestic cow.
To date, there are about 1080 known cow breeds, 121 Zebu breeds and 29 hybrid breeds. Dairy, meat and mixed meat and dairy breeds were bred, depending on the needs and feed base of a particular breeding region.
conclusions
- Dairy breeds have their own special characteristics in terms of body structure: it is more elongated, barrel-shaped; neck in folds.
- Each variety has its own distinctive features: resistance to drought, frosty climate, high milk fat or high milk yield. There are breeds that combine good milk and meat performance.
- To choose a healthy animal, it is necessary to carry out an external examination of the cow, feel its skin and try to milk it.
Also read about the features of keeping cows in the household.
Behavior
Cow
Is a herd animal. Each herd has its own dominant hierarchy, which is formed in the course of collisions between individuals. Once established, it remains unchanged in a given herd. In general, the herd lives amicably and obeys its leader. Domestic cows use special smells and pheromones to communicate with each other. With the help of a developed sense of smell, they distinguish the emotions of their relatives, especially fear and excitement. Head position is another means of communication. It expresses the mood of the animal (subordinate, anxious). The bellowing or roaring of cows serves to express suffering (in case of belated milking), hunger, thirst, calling for a calf or a relative.
Cows spend about a third of the day in the pasture, another third are engaged in chewing gum, and the rest of the time they rest.
Ayrshirskaya
Animals of this breed cannot be classified as large. With a small body size, the exterior of a dairy cow is pronounced. The body is slightly elongated, the head is small, the udder is well developed, the legs are bony and short, the neck is rather thin. The chest is deep, the back is straight. The predominant color is red and white.
The fat content of milk is 3.9-4.2%, the average milk yield reaches about 4.5 tons in sexually mature animals in the breeding farm. The Ayrshire breed cannot boast of meat products, most often it is of satisfactory quality. With very good fattening, the average meat yield rarely reaches 60%, usually it does not exceed 55%, sometimes it can be lower.
Reproduction
Cows live for about 20 years, occasionally up to 35 years. They grow up to the age of 5 years, up to a maximum of 6-7 years. Young heifers reach sexual maturity at 1-2 years old, while gobies at 6-8 months. Interestingly, sexual maturity as such is not an indication that the animal's body is ready to reproduce; in cows, this process is no longer related to age, but to weight. It is believed that ready-made individuals for reproduction, which have reached a weight of 50-60% of the weight of an adult of the same breed. This is why gobies and heifers are kept separately until fully mature. Heifers occur on average from the age of 18-22 months, bulls a little earlier (14-18 months). The cow does not have a specific mating season; reproduction is possible throughout the year.
Pregnant heifers are called pregnant
... Their pregnancy lasts about 285 days. 1.5-2 months before calving, the udder appears in the cow. As a rule, one calf is born, occasionally twins occur (in 2% of cases). The weight of newborn calves is in the range of 18-60 kg, depending on the breed.
After calving, lactation begins. In the first week, the cow gives the so-called "colostrum". Milk feeding of young animals continues until the age of 9 months (in beef breeds 6-8 months), but already from three months the calves begin to feed on grass as well. After calving, lactation lasts up to a year when the offspring are fed with milk or with regular milking. After 45-60 days, the cow is inseminated again, and 2 months before the new calving, they stop milking.
Istobenskaya
The animals are characterized by a black-and-white color. Most often, a strip of white wool is found that runs along the entire ridge. And also there are representatives with a red-and-white suit. Cows of short stature reach a height at the withers from 123 cm to 127 cm. Adult bulls gain weight from 149 kg to 900, the weight record holder gained 1 ton. Sexually mature cows weigh from 429 kg to 480. The products contain 3.4 - 3.5% protein, and the fat content of milk can be from 3.7% to 5.2.
Threats
Domestic cow
Is a widespread animal that is bred all over the world. For the peasants, the cow was and remains the personification of wealth and prosperity, in Russia it is often called a breadwinner. The cow performs three main tasks in the farm: it provides meat, milk and serves as a draft force. Cows give about half of the meat obtained in the world and about 95% of milk; they are practically not used as a labor force in industrial countries, but they retain this value in some areas of Africa and Asia.
The main producer and consumer of beef in the world is the United States: about a quarter of all world production is used here. The second recognized exporter of beef is Australia. In Western Europe, France and Germany are leading in these indicators.
Hereford gobies
This breed is in the second largest place in Russia after the Kalmyk breed. It is widespread in the Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Saratov, Rostov regions, as well as in the Altai Territory. The main distinctive features of the representatives are:
- barrel-shaped squat body;
- strongly protruding dewlap.
The color of the Hereford beef gobies is dark red. At the same time, the legs below, the head, dewlap and belly are white. The body weight of adult gobies of this breed is 850-1000 kg, cows - 550-650 kg. At the same time, the lethal yield is 58-62%. The breed tolerates adverse weather conditions and hauls well.
Interesting facts about the cow
- Cow dung is an excellent fertilizer and is widely used on the farm.
- For the inhabitants of India, the cow has been a sacred animal since ancient times, the embodiment of the Great Mother Aditi and the earth, and sometimes the Universe. According to the Vedas, the cow is connected with the dawn and the sun, she is protected by universal laws and Vishnu (the Supreme Personality of Godhead) personally, the killers of cows go to hell. In India, the cow is still a sacred animal, and the expression "sacred cow" means something inviolable, sacred, which is carefully protected from everything around. For example, a science that a person or a religion believes in can become a “sacred cow”.
- In the mythologies of different peoples, cows performed cosmic functions: the Egyptians described the heavenly cow Nut, which gave birth to the sky, and was the personification of the Heavenly Ocean. In Memphis, she was the symbol of Venus, the generating force. Pregnant cows are considered a feminine symbol, life-giving and nourishing the power of the earth, together with the bull, they symbolize the unity of the feminine and masculine principles, which generates and nourishes. The ancient Greeks made images of a cow with a calf sucking her udder, which indicated the multiplication of divine powers that feed themselves.
Farmers reviews
What do farmers say about black-and-white cows? Burenki are fastidious in food, but with a properly selected diet, they will be thanked with high milk yields. Very calm and unhurried. Good contact, peaceful. The cow actively responds to the attitude towards herself. You need to talk gently and calmly with her, stroke the sides and udder. Burenka feels the mood of the owner, his nervousness can be transmitted to her. Harsh shouts, injuries and tremors negatively affect milk yield.
Any changes in the animal's health, mood and habits may indicate the onset of an illness or a hunting period. Therefore, the farmer should carefully monitor the behavior of the cow. If she is provided with high-quality care, then the animal will give high yields. Farmers noted such a feature: the more milk the cow gives, the lower its fat content.
