Until quite recently, the farms of the Russian Federation did not know much about the dairy species of cattle (cattle), but the young black-and-white breed of this animal is becoming more and more popular. As statistics show, this species has taken the third step in the list of the most popular cows on Russian farms, while they are bred almost throughout the country.
black-and-white cow
Characterization
Origin
The Black-and-White cow is descended from the Dutch species and the East Frisian breed. As early as the beginning of the 18th century in Holland, people began to show interest in dairy production. They were helped by excellent weather conditions and good nutritional conditions, which led to the emergence of a new black-and-white breed of cows.
In the first decades of their lives, animals were characterized by a great tendency to various diseases, they had poor immunity and a fragile physique. But after breeders got involved, at the beginning of the 20th century, this breed received completely opposite characteristics: a strong cow with excellent meat value.
In the USSR, a separate category “black-motley breed of cows” appeared only in 1959.
Appearance
As indicated by the name of the breed, this cattle has a black skin, on which there are white spots of various sizes. They randomly strew the whole body of the cow.
Also, this species received a strong body and a fairly long body, which is available in almost any representative of cattle.
What does the breed look like?
The main features of the black-motley breed:
- a long head with an elongated muzzle, the horns are gray, the endings may be darkened;
- the chest has a medium-wide size, the depth does not exceed 75 cm;
- flat back, straight loin;
- the cow received sufficiently powerful limbs, they give the animal good stability;
- the belly is large, the udder is cup-shaped, the hind nipples are at a short distance from each other.
The black-and-white breed of cattle has a height of no more than 132 cm at the withers.
Productivity
Calves have the following weight: bulls up to 42 kg, heifers – 37 kg. These small animals love to eat, so every day they have an increase of up to 800 grams, but if you feed them even more, then the daily gain can be 1 kg.
And so, by 1,5 years of their life, calves already weigh almost 500 kg. From this we can conclude that, while still young, the breed turns into a real big carcass, which produces an incredible amount of lean beef. Adult males will never weigh less than 900 kg, while heifers have a mass of 500 to 650 kg. After slaughter, the yield equates to 60%.
If we talk about milk, then in the central regions, representatives of breeding farms can get up to 8 kg of such a product. Its fat content does not exceed 000%, and the protein content varies from 4 to 3%.
Under normal conditions, this species gives up to 3 liters of milk.
A cow of this breed gives up to 3 liters of milk
Feeding
The main advantage of this breed is that a person does not have to spend a lot of money on the purchase of concentrates, since in the summer a black-and-white cow grazes with pleasure on a green pasture, and in winter, she eats juicy additives and, of course, hay with pleasure. .
It is very important to use high-quality hay in feeding, but if juicy complementary foods are included in the diet (these are turnips, potatoes, corn silage and other products), then its amount is reduced to 3 kg per 100 kg of animal weight. This will help increase milk yield.
Do not forget that any living organism needs a sufficient amount of clean water. For the normal development of a cow, it is necessary to use table salt at the rate of approximately 5-8 grams per 100 kg of weight.
Care and maintenance
The correct maintenance of a black-and-white cow consists in observing several rules in the aggregate:
- timely milking;
- good nutrition from quality products;
- fodder preparation;
- cleaning the room where the animal is located.
Any farmer should know that this type of cattle is very demanding on the listed conditions.
Proper maintenance of a black-and-white cow
Cattle should only be in a large room, where there is a lot of space, and it should be warm and dry enough. The ideal option is when any openings (windows and doors) are located on the south or east side.
In winter, the room must be well lit and create effective ventilation. The most suitable temperature for a cow during the cold months is between 5 and 12 degrees Celsius. Do not forget about timely cleaning.
Pros and cons of breed breeding
The main advantages of the breed are as follows:
- excellent profit from milk;
- rapid weight gain;
- good health;
- quickly adapts to weather conditions;
- obtaining quality products: lean meat along with full-fat milk.
Many farmers say that the breed also has its own shortcomings that they would like to eliminate or correct:
- breeding of larger livestock;
- increase milk yield;
- make milk more fat, and also increase the amount of protein in it.
Conclusion
In any case, this black-and-white cow breed loves grooming and responds well to it. If properly cared for, a pied beetle can produce a large milk yield, but if neglected, it will definitely notice.
