There are many breeds of dairy cows for productivity. One of the most popular and widespread in our country is Kholmogorskaya. This breed was bred in the Arkhangelsk region and is one of the oldest domestic.
A bit of history
The first mention of this breed dates back to the 18th century. For many centuries, these cows were raised in the Kholmogorsky district of the Arkhangelsk region using pasture technology. From 1693 to 1728, cattle from other countries were also brought into this area. After all, Arkhangelsk has always been one of the most important Russian trade ports. The ancestors of the modern hillock, thus, in addition to local cows, are the Dutch and Holstein breeds. The result of many years of natural selection has become highly productive, hardy and unpretentious animals in the care. Officially, this breed was registered in 1937. Since that time, to a large extent, focused work has been carried out to improve it.
Modern Kholmogorsk breed of cows: description and characteristics
The main distinguishing features of the Astrakhan cattle are:
- elongated torso;
- long legs;
- flat line of the back;
- deep narrow chest;
- well developed ass.
Most often, Kholmogory cows have a black and white color. Sometimes also red-motley, black or red animals are found. The udder of these cows is medium in size with cylindrical nipples. The length of the latter can be from 6.5 to 9 cm. In some individuals, the nipples are widely spaced, in others they are close.
Productivity
Kholmogorsk cows are large animals. The weight of an adult heifer can reach 480-590 kg, a calf - 850-950 kg. The mass of calves of this breed after birth reaches 32-39 kg. Slaughter weight of gobies is 52-60%.
Despite its large size, the Kholmogorsky breed of cows is grown mainly for milk. In this regard, the productivity of animals is 3600-5000 kg. From some Kholmogory record-holders it was possible to get over 10,000 kg of milk per lactation.
Where are you getting divorced?
The only gene pool of the Kholmogorsk breed in our country is located in the Arkhangelsk breeding enterprise. From here, the seed of bulls frozen in liquid nitrogen is sent to many regions of Russia. The breed of Kholmogorsk cows is grown everywhere in our country. However, the largest distribution of this cattle was in Udmurtia, Tatarstan, Moscow, Arkhangelsk and Kirov regions. These cows are popular not only in Russia. This breed is also preferred by many farmers from Moldova and Ukraine.
Advantages and disadvantages
Of course, like any other, the Kholmogory breed of cows has both its advantages and disadvantages. The first can be attributed primarily:
- precocity and fertility;
- fast growth;
- endurance and immunity to adverse weather factors;
- resistance to various diseases.
A certain disadvantage of the Kholmogorsk breed is that sometimes individuals with crooked legs, not too deep chest or narrow rear part appear in the litter. When grown on poor pastures, Kholmogory cows practically do not reduce productivity. However, in our time in farms in most cases a mixture of this breed with Holstein breed is bred. Such hybrids produce more milk. However, they are also more demanding on the quality of feeding. Kholmogorsky breed and its hybrids can be bred in all regions of our country with any climate, including cold.
Content Features
In care, the Kholmogorsk breed of cows is very unpretentious. The only difficulty in growing is to develop a balanced diet. With a lack of certain substances or underfeeding, these cows can significantly lose in productivity. Improper feeding leads, first of all, to the fact that in Kholmogory cows the lactation period is reduced. Among other things, factors such as:
- level of preparation for calving;
- the correctness of the milking procedure.
To get good yields, the Kholmogorskaya breed of cows should be grown on such feeds as sunflower and linseed cake, grass mixtures of cereals and legumes, as well as good young hay. In winter, high quality silage is usually included in the ration.
Baby Care
Kholmogorsky calves up to twenty days of age are kept with their mothers. Then they are transferred to special rooms for young animals and placed in group sections. Upon reaching 8 months of age, calves are grouped according to development and gender. For each small herd, they develop their own diet, which necessarily contains vitamin and mineral supplements.
Selection
Currently, work to improve the hilltop in the Arkhangelsk region, of course, continues. The efforts of breeders are aimed primarily at increasing yields. The Kholmogorsk breed of cows is being improved, the characteristics of which were given above in all details, in farms using two main technologies:
- Linear In this case, the characteristics of the breed are improved by using bulls with the best indicators as producers. To obtain purebred cattle, an arsenal stock of 564 thousand doses was created at the Arkhangelsk breeding enterprise.
- Breeding in families. In this case, the selection of the best individuals is made on the maternal side.
In addition to purebred breeding, in some farms, as already mentioned, Holsteinization of Kholmogorsky cattle is also carried out. It also helps to increase the milk production of cows. However, Holstein hybrids are not only more demanding on feed, but also age faster. Milk from five lactations can be obtained from purebred Kholmogory cows. From hybrids - with only three. Most farms breed hybrids with a share of Holstein genes of no more than 50%.
Kholmogorsk breed of cows: the price of young animals
These cows are not particularly expensive. After all, they are not getting divorced abroad, but in our country. The cost of one bull is about 13 thousand rubles. This is the price for a 2 month old calf. A monthly bull or calf can be purchased for 11 thousand rubles.
The Kholmogorsk breed of cows is thus one of the best in our country. She has just a lot of advantages. With proper care and proper selection, breeding of these animals can be the most profitable and profitable occupation.