Probably every person seriously interested in the breed of cows heard about charola. This extremely successful breed is bred on many farms in different countries of the world. Excellent characteristics make it in demand both in large farms and among private individuals. Therefore, to learn more about Charolais cows is worth many farmers and just villagers.
Breed history
The first representatives of this glorious breed appeared in France in the seventeenth century. True, no one was seriously engaged in breeding then, so there were no uniform standards. Only in the middle of the nineteenth century, and more precisely in 1864, the breed was officially recognized, books of accounting appeared.
However, even at this time, representatives of the Charolais breed very vaguely resembled modern ones. They were attributed to the meat and dairy direction, and were valued primarily for strong immunity. This turned out to be very important for the northern regions with harsh, dank winters. In addition, the breed was not only hardy, but also very strong. Cows and bulls were often used as draft power - they coped with this task perfectly.
Tight breeding began only after the First World War. Cows were carefully selected, classified, sorted. To improve the breed, it was crossed with Shortgon cows and Simmental. Already in the middle of the twentieth century, the Charolais breed federation, a technical center and pedigree enterprises appeared.
Today, representatives of the breed can be found in seventy countries of the world! But they are most common in their homeland, in France - they contain about 2 million heads. In Russia, the stock is much smaller, only about a thousand. Animals are kept in the Tver, Tyumen and Belgorod regions.
Appearance description
Today, many farmers want to breed Charolais cows. The characteristics of the breed are really impressive, especially in bulls. At the withers they reach a height of 165 centimeters with an oblique length of up to 220 centimeters. Cows are much smaller - they have these indicators are 155 and 195 centimeters, respectively.
The heads are short, small, neat, with a massive forehead. The nose is straight or slightly concave. The horns are elongated - they are usually stopped in childhood.
The color scheme is strictly limited. The standard recognizes only a whitish color with the possibility of various cream shades.
The withers are pronounced. The neck is thick and short, has a distinct crest.
Short, very powerful, widely set legs end in massive hooves - this is very important, given the weight of the animals, which we will talk about later.
Direction
It is probably worth talking about the main direction, after a general description of the breed was given. Charolais cows are mainly meat. Some experts believe that it would be more correct to call them meat and dairy, citing milk yield up to 2.5 and even 4 tons per year as arguments. However, there are no documented facts of such milkings. On average, a cow produces about 1.5 tons of milk per year, that is, a little more than 4 liters per day. Records are quite rare, bringing up to 2.5 tons per year, but even this is not enough to call a meat and dairy cow.
But they give a lot of meat. Adult cows weigh approximately 600-750 kilograms. Bulls are much larger - their average weight ranges from 1000 to 1600 kilograms. Relatively rare, but there are times when the mass reaches even 2 tons! At the same time, the meat yield is quite good - about 65 and even 70% from carcasses.
They grow quickly, give a very tasty, tender dietary meat. Charolais has virtually no subcutaneous fat deposits, for which many experts appreciate the breed. This is especially noticeable with free walking - in such situations, animals practically do not gain fat, the whole increase comes from muscle mass.
Maintenance and care
Before you start a Charolais breed cows, you should find out the features of the content in order to prevent serious mistakes.
When keeping these animals it is not necessary to spend money on expensive feeds - they feel great, add good weight even when eating ordinary silage, hay and haylage. This has been made possible thanks to the good digestibility of the feed. The main thing is that there is enough feed - it is advisable to allocate an area with a good supply.
But due to the low content of subcutaneous fat, cows and bulls do not tolerate low temperatures, as well as temperature differences. It is very important to provide them with a warm room in the winter. Otherwise, they may well get sick and even die. This is one of the main reasons why the Charolese breed is not widespread in our country.
They are also not well suited for year-round stall maintenance. In this case, even with abundant nutrition of concentrates, weight gain is slow. So for small farms practicing pastoral cattle breeding, this breed can be a very good solution. By eating large amounts of grass in the summer, animals quickly gain weight.
Charolais breed cows do not require any other care features - conditions suitable for representatives of other breeds are suitable for them.
Key Benefits
Of course, the main advantage for which the breed is highly appreciated by experts is a quick weight gain. Often, calves are sent to the slaughter at the age of 4 months. By this time, they weigh about 200-220 kilograms. This makes it possible to keep them for only one season - from April to October, when in many regions of our country you can do without warmed cowsheds, and then take them to slaughter.
The heredity of the breed is very well transmitted to the descendants - well-fixed breed characteristics are affecting.
Cows remain productive until very old age - 15 years and even older. Moreover, they can be slaughtered at any time - even in old cows and bulls, meat is very tender, tasty.
Thus, it is not surprising that Charolais cows receive mostly positive reviews from owners. But even without a spoonful of tar could not do.
Shortcomings
Unfortunately, any breed that has important advantages is not without drawbacks. Perhaps it is even more important to know about them than about virtues.
Although cows remain productive for a long time, childbirth is usually difficult - primarily because of the large size of the calves. It is rarely possible to do without the help of a veterinarian.
Animals are very aggressive, especially bulls. However, cows, when there are calves next to them, are almost as good as aggression.
Quite often, calves are born with diseases that subsequently cause heart failure. Most successfully live to the age of slaughter, but need special care.
A few words about calves
A cow usually brings one calf, but twins are not uncommon. On the one hand, this is a plus. On the other hand, she gives so much milk that she’s just not enough for two. And you can’t use artificial mixtures - in this case, the calves often begin to get sick. We have to attract other cows for feeding.
It is also worth considering that calves that are not handed over for slaughter should remain with their mother for a long time. In this case, the cow is particularly aggressive towards everyone who approaches the calf.
But calves are born surprisingly large - 50-55 kilograms. With good feeding, they gain 1-1.5 kilograms per day, which is an excellent indicator.
Conclusion
Our article is drawing to a close. Now you know what advantages and disadvantages the Charolais breed has. So, you can make a deliberate choice, which you will not regret later.