Content
The formation of the black-and-white breed began in the 17th century, when local Russian cattle began to be crossed with imported Ost-Frisian bulls. This mixing, neither shaky nor shaky, lasted for about 200 years. Until, after the 1917 revolution, the Soviet government took the breed seriously. Within the framework of the breed improvement program for 10 years, from the 30s to the 40s of the twentieth century, a large number of Ost-Friesian and Dutch cattle were imported. They brought in not only bulls, but also heifers. The imported livestock was distributed among the farms of the central zone of the USSR, in the Urals and Siberia.
As a result of breeding work, a significant array of black-and-white cows was formed, dispersed practically throughout the "cool" part of the USSR. In the breed, offspring formed at the place of breeding:
- Ural;
- Siberian;
- Altai;
- great Russian;
- podolsk;
- Lviv;
- some other breed groups.
The emergence of large offspring is associated with the use of different breeds of local and imported cattle in the breeding of black-and-white cattle.
Initially, the breed had two color options: red-and-white and black-and-white. But at the end of the 50s, the cattle were divided into breeds by color, forming separate red-and-white and black-and-white cattle breeds. The black-and-white cow was approved as a separate breed in 1959.
Today, the black-and-white cow is common throughout almost the entire territory of the former Soviet Union. Cattle of this breed not only throughout the territory of Russia, but also in all the former republics of the USSR. This was greatly facilitated by the high adaptability of the breed. Among the large offspring, the internal types of black-and-white cows also stood out. There are several dozen of such types.
Average breed description
Dairy breed... The animals are large enough. The weight of adult cows is from 480 kg in mass livestock to 540 in breeding farms. The weight of bulls ranges from 850 to 1100 kg.
The average height of black-and-white cows is 130-135 cm, bulls are 138-156 cm tall, oblique length is 158 - 160 cm.
Exterior typical for dairy cattle:
- light graceful head;
- thin long neck;
- long body with deep chest and poorly developed dewlap;
- the topline is far from perfect. There is no single straight line. The withers stand out well. The sacrum is raised;
- the croup is straight, long;
- legs are short, powerful. With the correct posture;
- the udder is well developed, bowl-shaped.
The black-and-white cow is well adapted to machine milking, which is one of its advantages. The almost perfectly shaped udder allows the use of milking machines without restrictions. But in this case, there is one peculiarity: the more Holstein blood in the animal, the more regular the shape of its udder.
Piebald color. Black and white spots can cover approximately the same area of the cow's body, or one of the colors will prevail.
Average productive characteristics of the breed
The milk productivity of a given type of livestock often depends on what kind of offspring and type this particular animal belongs to. Average indicators of milk yield 3700–4200 kg per year in mass livestock. In breeding farms, milk yield can be 5500–6700 kg per year. The fat content of milk can range from 2.5 to 5.8%.
Often, a cow may produce very little very high-fat milk. When such milk is diluted with water to the required fat content, the milk yield from the cow is greater than from the record holder in terms of milk yield in liters.
Protein in milk of black-and-white cattle is 3.2-3.4%. With machine milking, the milk yield is 1.68 l / min. That is, in one minute, the machine pumps out 1.68 liters of milk from a cow.
Spotted cattle also have good meat characteristics. The beef obtained from bulls has a good taste and consistency.
The cattle is early maturing. Heifers mate at 18 months. The first calving in breeding farms at 29-30 months, in the mass livestock the average calving time is 31 months. Cattle gain muscle mass quickly. Newborn calves weigh 30-35 kg. By the time of mating at 18 months, the heifers are already gaining from 320 to 370 kg. The average daily weight gain for this cattle is 0.8-1 kg. Replacement young growth by 16 months gains 420-480 kg of live weight. On average, the slaughter yield of beef per carcass is 50 - 55%.
The photo of a breeding bull clearly shows the muscle mass possessed by animals of this breed.
After weaning the calf, the self-repairing heifer should not be overfed. If she receives the same amount of feed as the fattening calves receive, the udder will germinate with connective tissue. It will no longer be possible to get milk from such a cow.
Productive characteristics of individual offspring
Since the black-and-white cow has already spread throughout the former Union, and economic ties are almost interrupted, today no one can say for sure how many breed offspring and intra-breed types have become a lot. Only individual, largest offspring can be considered.
Altai offspring
Initially, the group was bred by absorption crossbreeding of cows simmental breed with black-and-white bulls. Later, the blood of the Holstein was poured. Today, the cattle of this group have one or another degree of blood according to the Holstein breed.
In the photo there is an old-type cow of the Altai offspring of the Katun GPP, Biysk region
Elongated forms of meat and dairy Simmental cattle can still be seen in this individual.
The milk yield of Altai cows is 6-10 tons of milk per year. But only on condition of proper feeding and maintenance. Slaughter meat yield per carcass is 58-60%.
Ural offspring
The cattle of this group were formed by crossing the Ost-Frisian and partially Baltic Black-and-White breeders with the local Tagil breed. The average milk yield of animals in this group is only 3.7-3.8 tons per year. The low milk yield is compensated by the relatively high fat content of milk - 3.8-4.0%.
In the photo there is a cow of the Estonian group - one of the ancestors of the Ural cattle.
Siberian offspring
Formed by crossing Dutch producers with local cattle. The size of the animals in this group is small. Milk yield is low, about 3500 kg per year. Cattle do not differ in milk fat content: 3.7-3.9%.
Great Russian offspring
It was formed in the European part of Russia by crossing the Dutch black-and-white cattle with the queens of Yaroslavl, Kholmogory and other local cattle breeds. A small amount of blood from the Swiss and Simmental breeds was added. Representatives of the group are large animals with high milk production. Cows of this group can produce up to 6 tons of milk per year. But this group has the lowest milk fat content of all offspring: 3.6 - 3.7%.
In the photo, a bull-producer of the Great Russian group of cattle, bred in the central regions of the Russian Federation.
This cattle is now bred even in Tajikistan.
Reviews of the owners of black-and-white cattle
Conclusion
Due to its high ability to adapt to any climate, black-and-white cattle are almost ideal for keeping in private yards. With a relatively small size, it has a high milk yield and a good feed response when fattening gobies for slaughter.
