Content
The red steppe cow does not have a very long history compared to many western dairy breeds. They began to breed it at the end of the 18th century, crossing Western cattle with an old draft cattle breed, which was bred at that time in Ukraine. "Aboriginal" of Ukraine - gray steppe breed of cattle was intended more for use in harness. On powerful and hardy oxen of this breed, the Chumaks went to the Crimea for salt. But after the conquest of the Crimea in 1783 by Catherine the Great and the establishment of communication between the peninsula and the mainland, as well as the elimination of the military threat from the south, horses firmly took their "rightful" place as draft animals.
Strong and hardy, but very slow oxen of the gray steppe breed were no longer needed, and foreign dairy cattle began to be imported into Ukraine. This was done, of course, not by the peasants, but by the German colonists. As a result of absorptive crossing of gray steppe cows with bulls-producers of red Ost-Friesian, Simmental, Angeln and other breeds, a new breed of dairy cattle emerged, which was named after the color and steppe breeding area.
Officially, the red steppe breed was recognized at the beginning of the 19th century. In the 70s of the same century, as a result of migration processes, the red steppe breed of cows from the Black Sea steppes penetrated the more eastern parts of the Russian Empire: the Volga region, Kuban, Kalmykia, Stavropol, Western Siberia. In each of the districts, the red steppe breed was mixed with local cattle, changing the productive and exterior characteristics. As a result, several types of "German" red cows were formed.
In the photo there is a bull-producer of the Kulunda type.
Description of the breed
General impression: livestock of a strong, sometimes rude constitution. The skeleton is lightweight but strong. The head is not large, usually light and graceful. But depending on the type, it can be somewhat rough. The nose is dark. The breed is horned, the horns are light gray in color.
When fighting in a herd for hierarchy, a cow can whip a rival with a horn. Red steppe cattle are best degraded with calves, if possible.
The neck is thin, of medium length. The body is long. The topline is uneven, with distinct differences between the sections of the spine. The withers are high and wide. The back is narrow. The loin is long and narrow. The sacrum is raised and wide. The croup is of medium length. The legs are short and well set.
Cattle of the red steppe breed of medium size. Height at withers 127.5 ± 1.5 cm, oblique length 154 ± 2 cm, elongation index 121. Chest depth 67 ± 1 cm, width 39.5 ± 2.5 cm.Carpus girth 18 ± 1 cm, bone index 14 ...
The udder is well developed, small, rounded. The nipples are cylindrical.
The color of the red steppe breed corresponds to its name. The cows are solid red. There may be small white markings on the forehead, udder, abdomen and limbs.
Exterior disadvantages
Unfortunately, the cows of this breed also have enough disadvantages. In fact, full-fledged selection work was not carried out, and the peasants could happen to cows with any shortcomings just to get milk. Therefore, the breed contains:
- thin skeleton;
- narrow or drooping croup;
- little weight;
- udder defects;
- poor muscularity;
- improper positioning of the legs.
When choosing a cow to buy, be sure to pay attention to the presence of defects in the exterior and udder. They often affect either the health of the cow, or the well-being of calving, or milk production. In particular, improper udder structure during machine milking leads to mastitis.
Productive characteristics of the red steppe breed of cows
The weight of an adult cow ranges from 400 to 650 kg. Bulls can reach 900 kg. At birth, heifers weigh from 27 to 30 kg, bulls from 35 to 40 kg. With properly organized feeding, calves gain weight up to 200 kg by six months. By one year, the calf can weigh up to 300 kg. Slaughter meat yield 53%.
Milk production depends on the climatic breeding zone. On plentiful succulent feed, a red-steppe cow can produce over 5000 liters of milk per lactation. But the average indicators are 4 - 5 tons of milk for the lactation period.
The fat content of milk in cows of this breed is "average": 3.6 - 3.7%.
Breed benefits
Bred in the arid Black Sea steppes of Ukraine, red steppe has high adaptive qualities and easily adapts to any climatic conditions. She is undemanding to the conditions of detention. In the Black Sea region, green grass grows only in spring and autumn. In summer, the steppe completely burns out under the hot sun, and in winter the frozen ground is covered with snow. Red steppe is capable of quickly gaining weight on the grass until this grass is burnt out. During dry periods, livestock retain their weight by eating dry grass that is of little nutritional value.
Cattle of this breed tolerate summer heat above 30 ° C and cold steppe winds in winter. Cows are able to graze in the sun all day without water. In addition to these advantages, the Red Steppe breed has a very strong immunity.
Recommended breeding zones for red steppe: Ural, Transcaucasia, Stavropol, Krasnodar Territory, Volga Region, Omsk and Rostov Regions, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Breeding features
The breed is distinguished by its early maturity. On average, heifers first occur at a year and a half. When selecting manufacturers, you should be careful and take into account possible hereditary defects in the exterior. If a heifer has any flaw, she should be matched with a bull without hereditary defects. True, this does not guarantee the birth of high-quality calves, but it increases the chances of this.
Reviews of the owners of cows of the red steppe breed
Conclusion
Given the ability of red steppe cows to give good milk yield even on scarce forage in the steppe regions, they can be bred in regions where droughts often occur. The breed requires further selection, but this issue is being addressed today in the breeding farms of the southern regions of Russia. Due to its unpretentiousness to feed, heat and frost resistance, the red steppe cow is well suited for keeping in private yards.
