Any farmer would like to receive a large amount of milk from his cattle, as well as a sufficient amount of meat. To do this, you need to correctly determine the breed. The Simmental breed of cows (Simmental) is ideal for this.
Simmental cattle
Origin
Experts who have conducted several studies on this topic have several assumptions and they all diverge. In fact, no one can say with absolute certainty from whom this breed of cows, which is also called the Bernese, originated.
The first are sure that the progenitors of this variety were wild tours that mated with the Helvetians. Others say that Scandinavian cows, which originated in the 5th century in Swiss lands, became their ancestors.
Switzerland is the place that can rightfully be considered a real producer, where not only the Simmental cow appeared, but also many other types of cattle. Therefore, if you hear the name of the Swedish breed of cows, do not be surprised. It was the inhabitants of Switzerland who realized that it was necessary to breed such a special animal that would produce enough meat and dairy products together.
In the modern world, representatives of the Bernese species can be found immediately on several continents, and it was brought to Russian territory in the 19th century.
Appearance
If you need to understand what the Simmental breed of bulls looks like, you need to study the signs of its appearance.
Growth at the withers of a cow reaches about 150 centimeters – this is considered a high parameter among cattle. The length of the body itself varies about 160 centimeters. The bone is quite large, the muscles are powerful, most experts call the appearance of the animal rough.
Looks like
The legs have a straight structure, are located correctly, have pink hooves. The chest is deep, the neck is short but muscular. Also, the variety received from nature a huge udder, which has skin on it with good elasticity. Cases have been recorded when it develops unevenly, the posterior lobes are better developed.
A distinctive feature of the breed is a large forehead and head. The horns are light or white in color, the eyelids and nose have received a pink tint. The color of the skin can be of two colors: cream-colored or pure cream. However, you can also meet white representatives.
Productivity
If we talk about productivity, then you need to know about the following characteristics:
- the first birth occurs around the age of 2 to 2,5 years, however, they are not considered easy in most cows;
- Simmental calves are considered quite large, their birth weight is about 46 kilograms, and by the age of six months it increases by as much as 4 times;
- raising calves is very simple, they are not demanding in care or special feeding;
- cows must be fed very well, so you can get a good milk yield from them;
- an adult bull can gain weight up to 1000 kilograms;
- but heifers weigh only an average of 600 kilograms, very rarely reaching the mark of 1 ton;
- the slaughter yield of fattened cows is 56%, for bulls – 65%. Meat is considered high-calorie, but has a moderate fat content – a maximum of 12%.
- if we talk about milk properties, then they are valued a little less, the indicator for one lactation is from 4 to 5,5 thousand kilograms.
Milk yield per breed
Pros of the breed
The Simmental breed of cows has many of its advantages, which should be discussed:
- Most importantly, this variety was recognized as a breed of dual direction, both dairy and meat, they show good performance in these two characteristics.
- Calves do not require special care and for a long period of time they feed on mother’s milk, which helps to significantly save on feed.
- If an adult representative of the species eats well, then in just one day it can gain weight up to 1 kilogram. The animal easily adapts to different climatic conditions.
- In order to improve the dairy characteristics of the breed, it is crossed with individuals of other dairy species.
- By nature, animals received a calm character and excellent health indicators.
This breed is rightfully considered universal, since it has both good milk characteristics and high meat qualities, and not all representatives of cattle can boast of this.
Important! The Simmental breed is considered economically beneficial for any farmer, as it quickly pays for the costs and brings good profits, while expanding the possibilities of the farm. This is exactly the variety that will help to increase the number of livestock several times without hitting the farmer’s pocket hard.
Conclusion
Most of the reviews about this species are only positive, since such cattle listen well and understand everything. Simmental cows love to move and eat a lot, which helps them avoid illness. It is very easy to buy a cow from this class today, since they are bred in almost any region of the Russian Federation and in neighboring countries.
