Of course, cows on farms owned by Russian farmers are bred mainly for milk. However, in some cases, cattle is also grown for meat. It is believed that such a farm can only be profitable if pure-bred cattle is raised. With the same diet, such cattle gains weight much faster than crossbreeds. One of the best breeds of cows of the meat direction of productivity is the Kazakh white-headed.
A bit of history
This highly productive cattle was bred in the days of the USSR by breeders of Kazakhstan and the Lower Volga. Hereford breed, Kazakh and Kalmyk were used as parents by specialists. Subsequently, individuals obtained by crossing individuals were bred “inside themselves”, selecting the most productive gobies and cows. The Kazakh white-headed breed was approved as an independent in 1951.
Representatives of this species obtained valuable qualities from Hereford cattle such as high meat yield and fast weight gain. From Kazakh gobies, this cattle got a powerful body. Breeding work is being carried out with this breed today. The efforts of specialists are primarily aimed at improving, of course, its meat qualities. The best pedigree cattle of the Kazakh white-headed is concentrated today in the Volgograd region, at the "Red October" breeding farm. This cattle is improved here both by updating the blood when using Herefords, and by selecting the best representatives.
External signs
In addition to the massive body, the Kazakh white-headed breed is characterized by:
elongated trunk barrel-shaped;
very flat line of the back;
strong, relatively light skeleton.
The color of the cows of this breed is red in different shades. Their head, chest, tail, lower abdomen and legs are white. A feature of the cattle of this breed is the fact that by winter it overgrows with thick long hair. Therefore, it is possible to contain such bulls and heifers in the most severe climate.
Types of Kazakh white-headed
At present, two main lines of this cattle are bred on farms: meat and dairy. The first type is the main one. In farms containing a meat type of animals, the practice of long grazing on pastures is mainly practiced. Calves on these farms are raised on a suction. In the winter, cattle are mainly given concentrates, silage and roughage.
In farms specializing in the cultivation of the Kazakh white-headed meat-and-milk line, slightly different animal care methods are used. In this case, the calves are taken away from the uterus after some time. The selection of livestock in such farms is carried out both on meat and dairy grounds.
Cattle Productivity
Weighing Kazakh white-headed burenki in average 540-580 kg. In some cases, this figure can reach 700 kg. Gobies of the Kazakh white-headed breed are gaining 800-850 kg by the time of slaughter. The body weight of the best individuals can reach 1000 kg.
The meat yield of this cattle is about 53-63%. The record figure was 74.3%, obtained from specially fed gobies. The meat of these cows, judging by the reviews of farmers, has a very good presentation. The taste in this case is simply excellent. It is valued primarily for juiciness and the presence of deposits of fat between the muscles.
The cattle of meat and milk direction of this breed is also quite good in productivity. It is believed that keeping such cows is quite profitable. For lactation from one Kazakh white-headed burenka you can get about 1. 5-2.5 thousand kg of milk. Record figures in this regard are 6,000 kg per year. And this, in turn, is comparable to milk yield from cows of a purely dairy direction of productivity. So, for example, a black-motley and red steppe cow can produce 4-6 thousand kg of product per lactation.
The milk fat content of the Kazakh white-headed burenka is about 4%. The indicator is actually very good. Most of the cows bred in Russia produce milk of precisely this fat content.
Kazakh white-headed breed of cows: features of the content
These animals are raised mainly in a loose manner in indoor or outdoor walking areas. For calves of this breed exclusively clean pens without drafts are suitable. In summer, Kazakh white-headed cattle are driven out to pasture. The content of this cattle is considered to be the most profitable in a free-walk way.
In rooms intended for resting cows, they usually lay irreplaceable straw litter with a layer of 25-30 cm. Renew it daily at the rate of 3 kg per animal. During the stall period, the thickness of the litter, thus, reaches 1 m. In the room per animal should be about 5-7 m 2 area. These animals are usually driven into the barn only in severe frosts.
Walking areas on the farm are equipped on the south side. Their size should be such that one cow has at least 8 m 2 of area with hard surface and about 25 m 2 in its absence. Along the perimeter of the walk, feeders are installed. The doors of the barn with this content of livestock should be constantly open.
For the winter, Kazakh white-headed bulls and cows, as already mentioned, are overgrown with thick hair, and therefore they can be grazed at this time of year. Usually, artificial pastures are arranged for cattle of the meat direction of productivity. In this case, double beveled rolls from tall stalked plants are stacked in the fields in autumn. Also in winter, cows of this breed can be grazed on natural pastures with long grass.
Feeding
In relation to the diet, the Kazakh white-headed cow is absolutely unpretentious. Many farmers contain these cows on such a menu:
in the morning - water, crusher, hay;
in the evening - straw, crushed, water.
Crushers at the same time takes one animal a little. A full bucket of 15 liters per day will be enough for five cows. Hay should be given to cattle freely. In winter, the number of concentrates for cows is desirable to increase.
Young growth of the Kazakh white-headed
The maternal instinct in cows of this breed is very well developed. This is primarily due to the fact that meat Kazakh white-headed calves are kept on a suction. Since young animals have been with their mother for a long time, there is practically no lunge in such cattle. The calves of this breed are born very large. Their weight after calving is about 27-30 kg. But despite this, the birth of cows, since they also differ in large sizes, pass very easily. Complications in these cows occur extremely rarely.
The calves themselves in these cows are born healthy and strong. They get sick only in exceptional cases. Congenital pathologies do not occur in them. Until the goby or heifer grows up, the mother is next to them and takes maximum care of them. Even if the owner does not fulfill any special requirements for the maintenance of calves, absolutely nothing will happen to them. Of course, this greatly facilitates the farmer's task of growing young animals.
The growth of meat calves of this breed largely depends on the milk production of cows. Young Kazakh Kazakh white breed is grown up to 18-20 months. By this time, he manages to walk the slaughter body mass. With intensive fattening, the growing period is reduced to 12 months. The live weight of calves per year increases to about 450 kg.
Reviews of farmers about the breed
The opinion of owners of farms specializing in breeding Kazakh white-headed cattle about him was relatively good. This cattle received good reviews primarily for:
According to the productivity of the Hereford breed, the Kazakh white-headed I , unfortunately, is inferior to the majority of farmers. However, he, and at the same time , was much more adapted to the harsh conditions of the steppe zone of Russia. Moreover, this cattle, unlike Hereford, is not at all afraid of long hauls.
The advantage of this cattle, among other things, is considered undemanding in terms of feed quality. Eating such cows literally everything. If necessary, it is allowed to give this cattle both barley and wheat straw. About 60% of all roughage fed is this particular product.
Of course, endurance in relation to weather conditions also refers to the undoubted advantages of cows of this breed. It is believed that this cattle can be kept at a temperature of +50 to -40 degrees. And without loss of productivity.
Kazakh white-headed: price for calves
Thus, the reviews of farmers for this breed of cattle earned really very good. The cost of calves of the Kazakh white-headed, like any other breed, is usually determined by their live weight. The price of young growth of 200-300 kg, for example, is 140 rubles per kilogram. The cost of livestock of this breed of meat and meat and dairy directions of productivity is approximately the same. Hereford cattle, the photo of which is presented above, is gaining a lot of body weight, and therefore usually costs more.