All cattle raised today is divided into twoLarge groups: dairy and meat directions of productivity. Of course, in most cases, farmers contain animals of the first variety. One of the most popular of all dairy products is Holstein breed of cows. Characteristics of its productivity by milk yield is simply excellent.
History of the breed
Brought Holstein (Friesian) cattle was in the United States.The Dutch became the parent breed for him. From Europe to America, these black-and-white cows were brought in the middle of the 19th century. The Dutch breed for improvement in the US American breeders chose primarily because of its good performance. An important role was played also by the fact that these burrs were very well adapted to the new climatic conditions for them. The Holstein-Frisian breed in America was published with an emphasis mainly on increasing the mass of animals and, as a consequence, increasing the milk yield. To such indicators, as fat content and the chemical composition of milk, attention was practically not paid. In 1983 Holstein-Frisian cattle was renamed simply Holstein.
Breed description
From European descendants of Dutch cowsThe American Holstein cattle of the dairy direction is distinguished first of all by a large body weight. They are quite tall at the withers and powerful animals. The color of Holstein cows for 150 years of breeding has not changed. The most common color is black and white. Occasionally there are cows of black color or red-motley. The latter species was initially discarded. However, later such cows were selected specially - for the formation of a new breed. In addition to the large body weight, signs of Holstein cattle are:
strong and elongated body;
high legs;
cup-shaped udder with well-visible veins;
rather wide chest.
Adult cows of Holstein breed reach at the withers 150 cm, bull-calves - 162 cm.
Holstein breed of cows: performance characteristics
According to the indicators of milking this American cattleconsiderably exceeds many European varieties. During the lactation period the Holstein drill can yield 10-12 thousand liters of milk. Very good in this breed and recoil indicators. Per minute you can milk up to 3 kg. The fat content of Holstein cows' milk is not too big - 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 yield of meat during slaughter is about 50-55%.
Holstein Cattle in Russia
A lot of highly productivebreeds of cattle. Holstein breed of cows, the price of which in Russia is still quite high, has recently gained popularity among farmers. This American cattle is bred not only to get high milk yields, but also to improve existing breeds. The fact is that one of the virtues of the Holstein cattle is strong genes. The main difficulty in obtaining hybrids are complex animal genera. Many representatives of domestic dairy breeds have not too large sizes 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
Holstein breed of cows, the characteristic of whichon indicators of dairy efficiency is simply excellent, has, however, some drawbacks. One of the disadvantages of this cattle is the requirement for feeding and maintenance. Productivity Holstein cows directly depends on how well the diet will be developed. The premises for this cattle must be as light and spacious as possible. Although the Holstein breed is considered to be stable for various diseases, with large crowding and lack of ventilation in the barn, the risk of epidemics is significantly increased. In order to achieve good performance from this breed, farmers should strictly observe all laid down cattle keeping technologies.
Features of feeding
In Russia, the cattle of the dairy direction of productivitywas bred for centuries. During this time, methods of content were developed that make it possible to achieve the best performance indicators. In principle, all these technologies are very suitable for breeding, including Holstein cattle.
Norms of feeding cows in domesticLivestock farms are made primarily with regard to their living weight. In addition, the fat content of milk is taken into account. Actually the type of feeding is established taking into account the soil-climatic conditions of this particular locality. When compiling a diet for dairy cattle, the fact is also taken into account that with a monotonous feeding of animals, it is impossible to obtain high milk yields from them. Cows should be given as concentrated (wheat, bran) and coarse (hay), and juicy (vegetables, root crops) feed. In this diet should be changed at least twice a month.
Rough forage milk milk should be receivedabout 1-2 kg per 100 kg of weight per day, juicy - 8-10 kg. Concentrates are given based on the productivity of this particular breed and the lactation period per 1 kg of milk.
Features of the content
The most common Russian farmers are breeding cowsAre bred on pasture-stall technology. Such a technique makes it possible to significantly reduce the cost of production of milk. Stable technology is used only in areas with large areas of plowed land. That is, where there is very little pasture. In this case, in summer the burenki are kept in cattle yards (at the same time they are fed with the purchased green fodder), and in winter they are transferred to the stalls with a walk.
Of course, in any premises intendedfor the maintenance of cattle, ventilation and lighting should be equipped. Each individual is given his own individual place. At 10 cm below the stall is arranged manure channel. The length of the harness must be such that the cows can freely move, lie, drink and eat.
The price of Holstein cattle
How much is this American cattle?Today, in our country, many Holland breeds of cows are bred by many farmers. The price of calf and bull-calves, however, is still quite high. Depending on the age of the animal and the region, it may amount to 55-150 thousand rubles.
Holstein breed of cows, the characteristic of whichwas given in this article, with content without violations of technology shows simply remarkable results not only on dairy productivity, but also on meat yield. This American cattle is distinguished simply by a huge number of advantages and to breed it, of course, is beneficial, including in the territory of Russia.
