We consume dairy products daily. Even babies know that cows give milk. But how much milk a cow gives per day, and when she begins to do this, not every adult represents.
When the cow begins to give milk
These sedate animals grow and mature quite slowly. For a long time, the owner takes care of a new heifer, counting on returns only in the future. Cows puberty occurs after six months, but such a young animal is not ready to reproduce. Only in one and a half to two years, when the heifer fully develops and reaches a mass of more than 300 kg, it is fertilized. A cow’s pregnancy lasts 9 months, from about 240 to 311 days. After the birth of the calf, milk appears. At first, the cow produces colostrum, which feeds the calf, it is not eaten. Thus, the owner of the cow will be able to get the first milk only after two and a half to three years.
How many days a cow gives milk
A cow cannot give milk all year round. Gradually, milk yield decreases, the quality of the product decreases. In order to maximize lactation, cows are inseminated every year. A pregnant cow continues to give milk, but a few months before the birth they start. This means that the animal gradually ceases to milk, and milk disappears. This is necessary so that the body rests, and all efforts are directed to the development of the calf. If this is not done, then the cow and the newborn will be exhausted.
Thus, the lactation period lasts no more than 320 days, and dead wood - about one and a half to two months. Most cows give milk after the second, third and fourth calving.
Important information
What determines how much milk a cow gives per day? This indicator can vary greatly between cows. We will figure out what determines how many liters of milk a cow gives per day. Firstly, the breed of the animal is of great importance. There are dairy, meat, dairy and meat breeds. Most of all milk is produced by dairy breeds; meat breeds are far behind in this regard.
Secondly, genetics, heredity, and individual characteristics of the animal matter, because even among the same breeds, the milk yield of different cows is different.
Thirdly, the age of the animal has a big influence on how much milk a cow gives per day. After the first calving, she gives a little milk, after the seventh calving, productivity begins to decline.
And finally, one of the most important parameters is the conditions of detention and nutrition. Even the best thoroughbred cow will not give a lot of milk if it is poorly fed.
How much milk do dairy cows produce?
There are several common dairy breeds. Dutch is arguably the oldest dairy. Some experts believe that the genes of this breed are present to one degree or another in all dairy breeds. The milk productivity of this breed is from 4,000 kg per year.
The Holstein breed was bred in the USA and Canada. Today it is the most common dairy breed in the world. Its productivity can be more than 7,000 kg of milk per year. Milk yield depends on climatic conditions, and in countries with milder climates it can reach 10,000 kg per year. Based on these data, we can say how much milk a cow gives per day of this breed - the average milk yield in Russian households is from 20 to 40 liters per day.
Simmental breed is widespread in Russia. It possesses not only good milk productivity - about 5,000 kg of milk per year (up to 9,000 kg in some conditions), but also excellent meat qualities.
Yaroslavl breed is considered one of the best bred from us. These cows, black with a white spot on their heads, adapt well to various climatic conditions and can produce up to 5,000 kg of milk.
On our fields you can often see the Kholmogorsky breed, which shows itself perfectly in cold climates and gives more than 6000 kg. High yields are shown by the Aishir breed, which also prefers a cool climate. Black-motley breed can produce up to 6,000 kg of milk per year, in addition, these animals have good meat qualities.
Meat and dairy breeds produce from 3,000 to 5,000 kg of milk per year.
How much cow gives milk: norms and records
A calving calf for the first time can produce 8-9 liters of milk per day, a thoroughbred cow after the second calving - from 15 to 40 liters per day. If a mature individual gives less than 10 liters, this indicates poor care or illness.
But among the cows there are real champions. For example, the American cow Julian of the Holstein breed produced 30 805 kg of milk per year, Linda of the same breed - 28 740 kg.
19 106 kg of milk per year were received from a domestic black-and-white breed Burenka named Rossiyanka.
Records for daily milk yield are also recorded. Cuban Ubre Blanca, a cross between a Holstein breed and a humpback zebu, produced 110.9 kg in one day. Our cows are not far behind - black-motley and Yaroslavl gave 82 kg each, Kholmogorsk - 78 kg.