Since ancient times, people breed cows, as well as small cattle. For each type of animal, it is necessary to create certain conditions. With proper animal husbandry, the farmer manages to increase the available population several times over a short period of time.
Livestock Features
In order to breed large and small cattle, it is necessary to have a sufficiently large land plot. Livestock farms rent large tracts of land for this purpose. At home breeding, livestock is placed on the existing territory. In this case, the cows need to provide a sufficiently large stall, a walk. Goats and sheep need less territory.
The issue of lack of space determines how large and small cattle will be raised.
Cattle breeding
Livestock include cattle and small cattle. The first class includes different breeds of cows. Small cattle represent goats, sheep. Before breeding any type of animal, it is necessary to evaluate its capabilities.
Raising cows is a very lucrative business. Only two animals are able to bring good revenue and fully recoup the costs of their maintenance. Before you get animals, you must:
- Find out which breeds exist, which are found in a particular region.
- Decide on the place where the animal will be kept. If in the summer it is planned to graze a cow, then it needs to provide a place for an overnight stay: a canopy, a barn. For winter maintenance, you need a warm room and a walk.
Having decided on the place of detention, they decide on the choice of breed. This is not easy, because there are many different representatives of cattle.
Cow Breeds
Those who have never dealt with cows are advised to select a breed that is unpretentious to the climate. In this case, do not forget that the cow should give a lot of milk.
- Hereford cattle. It is famous all over the world, as it is unpretentious to the climate. The color of the animals is red, have white spots throughout the body. This breed grows rapidly and has a large reproduction. After 1.5 years, the young growth reaches puberty.
- The Limousin breed also has a red color, but it is more hardy, unpretentious in leaving. Limousine cows differ from others in high fecundity: they can bring up to three calves for one calving.
- Kazakh white-headed. Animals acclimatize well and gain weight quickly. In the warm season, they have smooth hair, and in winter it becomes curly and thick.
- The most common breed is Simmental. The profitability of its content is almost one hundred percent.
There are other breeds of cows that are great for keeping in different climatic zones.
IFA: goats
One of the very first animals that humans tamed is a goat. These animals ideally adapt to any climatic conditions, are unpretentious in the maintenance.
Goats give different products: fluff, meat, milk, skins.
Among the goats of the down direction are:
- The breed is bastard. From one animal, you can get up to one and a half kilograms of down about ten centimeters long.
- Orenburg goat. This is the largest downy animal. The down of goats is thin, long, but it is not elastic enough. Because of this feature, fluff from the Orenburg breeds is mixed with the products of other goats, most often of the bottom.
There are goats that are kept for milk. The most common breed is the Russian goat. She is light in weight, giving an average of about four liters of milk per day. Saanen goats have a higher milk content. With good content, they are able to produce up to eight liters of milk per day. This small cattle has a large constitution and a fairly large weight.
IFA: sheep
Sheep are very early animals. Their puberty begins by the age of six months. For one lambing a sheep brings from one to three lambs, in rare cases there can be four. Moreover, lambing occurs twice a year. Because of this feature of sheep, they recoup costs very quickly.
Sheep is not just small cattle that multiplies rapidly. These animals grow well. By the age of four months, young animals weigh about half the weight of an adult. For example, if an adult sheep by the standards of the breed should weigh eighty kilograms, then young animals at 4 months old will weigh about forty kilograms.
All small cattle are divided into wool and meat. The first type has subspecies: coarse-haired, fine-haired, half-fine, etc.
Private traders and farmers most often breed the Romanov breed. It is distinguished by its universal purpose and high fecundity. Professionals recommend starting breeding small cattle with this breed, as it is unpretentious, perfectly adapts to any climatic zones.
Conclusion
Breeding any animals is hard work. It is necessary to feed animals, remove wool, milk, remove manure, and graze. For their maintenance they need a place, they feed them. All this is hard work, which not everyone can do.