For an ordinary person who has nothing to do with agriculture, a cow of any breed is a simple animal. Farmers are another matter. Those who are involved in breeding and raising cattle for milk, know a number of features that determine the dairy breed of a cow. Here are the main criteria: a large udder, an elongated body, underdeveloped muscles.
General information
There are dozens of cattle breeds. But the cows of milk productivity are in the greatest demand. The Holstein, Yaroslavl, Kholmogorsk, red steppe and black-motley breeds are considered the most common in Russia. And literally each endowed with certain advantages compared to others. For example, it may be the fat content of milk or its quantity. The quality of dairy cow meat is slightly inferior in quality to the product obtained from cattle of a different direction. Therefore, one should not expect from them a large increase in muscle mass.
Combined (or dairy and meat) breeds of cows differ from other types of cattle in their versatility. They have double productivity. This means that the animals are well developed not only dairy, but also meat quality. One of them can be expressed more clearly. Then they are attributed either to the dairy-meat type, or to meat and dairy. There are a lot of them. Breeds of cows of meat and dairy direction: Simmental, Bestuzhev, Schwyz, Kostroma and others. I must say that farmers most often choose them for breeding on their farms.
Holstein breed
It is considered the most common among the dairy cattle. The livestock of this breed is perhaps the largest in the world. Her homeland is Holland, but she received all the productive qualities she acquired already on the American continent.
The Holstein dairy breed of cows is used by breeders to improve other black-and-white colors of cattle. Such animals in Canada and the United States specifically improved, seeking from them the maximum fat content and abundance of milk yield.
When growing calves, as well as keeping and feeding cows , special technologies were used, the purpose of which was to create a new, more modernized dairy type of cattle. Thus, a large number of black-and-white cattle appeared in these countries, which compares favorably with the original material.
It is believed that the improved Holstein dairy cows were obtained not by crossbreeding, but by the purebred breeding method. Therefore, animals are characterized by good milk productivity, large size and capacity of the udder. It is not surprising that among the cows of this breed there are a lot of record holders for milk yield and not only.
The live weight of bulls is generally from 950 to 1200, and cows - up to 700 kg. Gobies are born with body weight up to 47 kg, heifers - 5 kg less. The udder of cows is either cup-shaped or bath-like. The milk flow rate ranges from 3 to 3.5 kg in 1 minute. For a day from them you can get about 60-65 kg of milk with a double milking.
Yaroslavl breed
Her name speaks for itself. She was bred in the XIX century in the Yaroslavl province. For this, a breeding selection of the best animals from the local livestock was carried out. She did not mix with other breeds. This is evidenced primarily by the color of the dairy cow of Yaroslavl, as well as the peculiar exterior and high fat content of the resulting product. The best animals give milk yield, reaching the mark of 11 thousand 600 kg of milk per year. Most of the Yaroslavl cows have milk with a fat content of 4% and higher.
Kholmogorsk breed
It was bred in the XVII century on the territory of the Arkhangelsk province by folk selection. Many experts believe that the dairy cows of Kholmogorskaya have an admixture of Dutch black and white.
Animals are quite well developed. The weight of calves at birth is from 30 to 35 kg. They are early enough. The weight of adult cows varies from 530 to 580, and bulls - 810-1000 kg. On average, the first calving occurs at 30 months.
Kholmogorsk breed breeding plants have determined the average milk yield of their animals. In 2004, it amounted to 5380 kg of milk with a fat content of 3.85% and a return rate of 1.9 kg per 1 minute.
Breeding of the Kholmogorsk breed is continued by the method of purebred breeding with an admixture of black and motley Holstein blood. The purpose of the selection is to improve the quality and milk yield of milk.
Red steppe breed
It has both advantages and disadvantages. The positive qualities include excellent acclimatization ability and responsiveness to good content and feeding. The disadvantages are the low fat content of milk, late ripeness, poor muscles and a number of exterior deficiencies.
Farmers-breeders who would like to improve the red steppe breed of cows should first of all pay attention to in-breed selection. It should be carried out both in milk production and in live weight. In addition, it is necessary to achieve an increase in the content of protein and fat in milk .
The quality of the product obtained in different farms is very different. The milk fat content can vary from 3.3 to 5.3%, which directly indicates the need for selection of the best animals within this breed.
Black and white breed
This cow is especially popular in Russia. In recent years, black-and-white dairy cows have been able to gain the trust of many breeders due to their relatively high productivity and good ability to acclimatize.
The body of this animal is slightly elongated, but proportional, the udder is large. The suit is black and motley. But due to some differences in the properties of local livestock and natural conditions, as well as in the level of breeding, several types and groups were outlined in the breed. They differ both in appearance and in fat content and milk yield.
Thus, black-and-white cattle in the central regions of Russia was obtained by crossing Ostfries and Dutch cattle with local Yaroslavl and Kholmogory cows. There are also signs of an admixture of Simmental and Schwyz rocks. These animals are large enough. Cows weigh up to 650, and bulls weigh about 1000 kg. Milk yield is relatively high, but still inferior in fat content to other groups.
Breeding Features
In the post-dairy period, which lasts from 3-6 to 24 months, depending on the breed, the main task is to ensure the normal development and growth of heifers, their timely fertilization, as well as the formation of their maximum milk productivity.
Usually they are divided into age groups: 6–9, 9–12, 12–18, and 18–24 months. Each of the groups is kept without leash in the stalls on the territory of the feed-feed yard or in a room with a deep irremovable litter. Water is supplied using drinkers.
In the warm season, heifers usually walk on pastures. If there is not enough food there, then top dressing is performed, which should contain the green mass of perennial and seeded annual herbs, as well as concentrates. In winter, feeding should be two-time - in the morning and in the evening. It is necessary to introduce into the diet: 25-30% concentrates, 40-45% silage and 28-33% haylage. But still, the meat of a dairy cow is inferior in quality to those species that are specially bred to obtain this product.
I must say that the cultivation of young heifers in all periods requires the creation of optimal conditions for their maintenance and feeding. This will greatly contribute to the development of the desired type of cows with high milk productivity.
Prices
Growing cattle for meat or milk is a pretty good and profitable business. If the matter is put on stream, then he will not create any special problems for the owner. But it is worth remembering that dairy cows, the price of which is slightly higher than meat, require much more attention to themselves.
This type of activity assumes that the owner of the enterprise has special knowledge and skills. It is necessary to correctly approach the issues of keeping animals in the summer and winter seasons, how and to whom to give milk and meat, where to get manure, where to get feed, etc. In addition, you need to be able to understand the types of these animals and know all the prices. For example, dairy cows. The price for them can vary from 40 to 55 thousand, and for calves about 25 thousand rubles. Only after all these subtleties have been studied, it will be possible to start breeding cows.