Holstein breed of cows: characteristic. Milk cattle

All cattle being bred today is divided into two large 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

Derived Holstein (Friesian) cattle was in the United States. Parent breed for him was Dutch. From Europe to America, these black-and-motley 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 borenkas adapted very well to 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 chemical composition of milk, attention was practically not paid. In 1983 Holstein-Frisian cattle was renamed simply Holstein.

Description of the breed

From the European descendants of Dutch cows, the American Holstein cattle of the dairy direction is distinguished primarily by its 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-mottled. The last species was initially discarded. However, later such cows were selected specifically - 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 milk yields, this American cattle considerably 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 productive cattle breeds are produced in our country. 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, the domestic Burenka is simply difficult to give birth to a large Holstein hybrid.

The mines of the breed

The Holstein breed of cows, whose characteristic for milk productivity is simply excellent, has, however, some drawbacks. One of the disadvantages of this cattle is the demand for feeding and maintenance. The productivity of Holstein cows depends on how well the diet is developed. The premises for this cattle must be as light and spacious as possible. Although Holstein is considered to be resistant to all kinds of 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 productivity has been 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 domestic livestock farms are primarily based on their live weight. In addition, the fat content of milk is taken into account. Actually the type of feeding is set taking into account the soil-climatic conditions of this particular area. When compiling a ration 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 receive about 1-2 kg per 100 kg of weight per day, juicy - 8-10 kg. Concentrates are given on the basis of the productivity of this particular breed and lactation period per 1 kg of milk.

Features of the content

More often than not, Russian farmers breed cow cows 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 are very few pastures. In this case, in summer the burenks are kept in cattle yards (at the same time they are fed with the purchased green fodder), and in winter they are transferred to stalls with a range.

Of course, in any premises intended for 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 calves 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 which was given in this article, with content without violations of technology shows just remarkable results not only on dairy productivity, but also on meat yield. This American cattle differs simply by a huge number of advantages and to breed it, certainly, is favorable including in territory of Russia.