All cattle bred today is divided into two large groups: dairy and meat production. Of course, in most cases, farmers contain animals of the first variety. One of the most popular of all dairy at the same time is the Holstein breed of cows. The characteristic of its milk yield is simply excellent.
Breed history
Bred Holstein (Frisian) cattle was in the United States. Dutch became his parent breed. From Europe to America, these black-and-white cows were brought in the mid-19th century. American breeders chose the Dutch breed for improvement in the United States primarily because of its good productivity indicators. An important role was also played by the fact that these burenki very well adapted to the climatic conditions new to them. The Holstein-Friesian breed was bred in America with an emphasis mainly on increasing the mass of animals and, as a result, increasing milk production. Indicators such as fat content and chemical composition of milk received almost no attention. In 1983, the Holstein-Friesian cattle was simply renamed Holstein.
Breed description
From the European descendants of Dutch cows, the American Holstein cattle of the dairy direction is distinguished primarily by its large body weight. These are quite high at the withers and powerful animals. The color of Holstein cows has not changed for 150 years of selection. The most common color is black and white. Cows of black color or red-motley are occasionally found. The latter variety was initially rejected. However, later such cows were specially selected to form a new breed. In addition to large body mass, the following are considered signs of Holstein cattle:
Adult Holstein cows reach 150 cm at the withers, gobies - 162 cm.
Golshtinsky breed of cows: characteristic on productivity
In terms of milk production, this American cattle is significantly superior to many European varieties. During lactation, the Holstein burenka can produce 10-12 thousand liters of milk. This breed has very good returns. Up to 3 kg can be milked per minute. The milk fat content of Holstein cows is not too high - about 3%.
As already mentioned, these animals are very massive. The weight of an adult cow can reach 700 kg, a bull - 900 kg. The meat yield during slaughter is about 50-55%.
Holstein cattle in Russia
A lot of highly productive cattle breeds have been bred in our country. The Holstein breed of cows, the price of which is still quite high in Russia, has recently gained more and more popularity among farmers. This American cattle is bred not only to obtain high milk yield, but also to improve existing breeds. The fact is that one of the advantages of the Holstein cow is its strong genes. The main difficulty in obtaining hybrids are complex animal births. Many representatives of domestic dairy breeds are not too large in size and body weight. That is, it is simply difficult for a domestic Burenka to give birth to a large Holstein hybrid.
Cons of the breed
The Holstein breed of cows, whose characteristics in terms of milk productivity are simply excellent, has, however, some drawbacks. One of the drawbacks of this cattle is its exactingness regarding feeding and keeping. The productivity of Holstein cows directly depends on how well the ration is developed. The premises for this cattle should be as bright and spacious as possible. Although the Holstein breed is considered stable in relation to various kinds of diseases, with a large crowding and lack of ventilation in the barn, the risk of epidemics is significantly increased. In order to achieve good productivity from this breed, farmers should strictly follow all the established technologies for keeping cattle.
Feeding Features
In Russia, cattle in the dairy direction of productivity have been bred for centuries. During this time, maintenance methods have been developed to achieve the best productivity indicators. In principle, all these technologies are very well suited for breeding including the Holstein cattle.
Feeding rates for cows in domestic livestock farms are compiled primarily taking into account their live weight. In addition, the fat content of milk is taken into account. Actually, the type of feeding itself is established taking into account the soil and climatic conditions of this particular area. When compiling a diet for dairy cattle, the fact that with uniform nutrition of animals high milk yields from them is impossible to take into account. Cows should be given both concentrated (wheat, bran) and coarse (hay), and succulent (vegetables, root crops) feed. In this case, the diet should be changed at least twice a month.
The coarse fodder should produce about 1-2 kg per 100 kg of body weight per day, and succulent - 8-10 kg. Concentrates are given based on the productivity of this particular breed and the lactation period per 1 kg of milk.
Content Features
Most often, Russian farmers breed breeding cows on pasture and stall technology. This technique allows you to significantly reduce the cost of milk production. Stall technology is used only in areas with large areas of plowed land. That is, where there are very few pastures. In this case, in the summer, cows are kept in stockyards (at the same time they are fed with purchased green food), and in winter they are transferred to stalls with a range.
Of course, in any premises intended for the maintenance of cattle, ventilation and lighting should be equipped. Each individual has its own individual place. 10 cm below the stall a manure channel is arranged. The length of the leash should be such that the cows can move, lie, drink and eat freely.
The price of Holstein cattle
How much is this American cattle? Today in our country many farmers breed the Holstein breed of cows. The price of heifers and calves, however, is still quite high. Depending on the age of the animal and the region, it can be 55-150 thousand rubles.
The Holstein breed of cows, the characteristic of which was given in this article, when kept without technology violations shows simply remarkable results not only in milk production, but also in meat yield. This American cattle is simply distinguished by a huge number of advantages and it is certainly beneficial to breed it, including in Russia.