Meat breed cattle: breeding tips and features
Cattle breeding has been feeding humanity for centuries in a row, giving us meat, milk and skins. Of course, in recent years, dairy cattle in many countries have played a particularly important role, but so far beef cattle form the basis of the welfare of many countries (Canada, Brazil, Argentina).
The latter circumstance is connected with the fact that all recent years have been marked by a constant increase in the cost of meat and meat products. Accordingly, the breeding of such animals is becoming an increasingly profitable occupation. Oddly enough, but meat breeds of cattle in Russia are still very rare, which is a pity.
Features of such cattle
It should be noted that in the world there are more than a thousand different breeds of cattle. But no more than a hundred of them belong to meat. These breeds are very unpretentious to climatic and natural conditions, have good resistance to various diseases. With the correct organization of the process, the breeding of meat varieties of livestock is extremely profitable, since it requires minimal human participation in the process. The fact is that such cows are not milked. Calves stay with their mothers for up to eight months, and they do not require any special care.
Production qualities of beef cattle
If we compare them with dairy breeds, they have much more impressive productive qualities: about 95 calves come out per 100 cows, bulls add 1050-1200 grams of pure meat in just a day. And this despite the fact that only 6.5-7 feed units are spent per kilogram of weight gain.
The Importance of Site Selection
It is important to note that the high results of beef cattle are shown only if you correctly select the optimal natural and climatic zone. If the breed is not adapted for your climatic zone, then the animals' resistance to diseases decreases sharply, problems with reproductive function are observed, and a long weight gain is noted.
Simply put, the genetic basis of an animal will give the highest productivity only if it is kept in the same conditions under which the breed was bred. For example: if you bring a bull of the Aberdeen-Angus breed from the same Brazil and decide to get offspring from him in Central Russia, then you are unlikely to come up with something worthwhile.
Are there breeds favorable for beef cattle breeding in Russia?
Particularly favorable for beef cattle are many areas of the North Caucasus. And also, oddly enough, some areas of Western and Eastern Siberia. What breeds of cattle give the best meat yield? The best results are given by the Kalmyk, as well as the Hereford breed.
Perhaps we will focus on the last variety. In just a year and a half, Herefords already reach their maximum weight, and bulls add 1500 grams per day. On average, at least 5.5 kilograms of meat pulp comes out per kilogram of bones. Animals of this breed are extremely efficient in using all types of feed that are used in their cultivation. So, from birth to slaughter, no more than 11.3 feed units are spent per kilogram of weight gain. This is a very flattering characteristic of beef cattle (almost all, not just Herefords).
It is worth mentioning the Aberdeen Angus breed, which we have already written about above. Oddly enough, but these animals are not bad for Russia, but it is required to acquire only those of its representatives who have already been acclimatized in our country. In just 21 days, you can get a calf weighing up to 200 kilograms, and the average daily gain is at least 800 grams.
In principle, the list of meat breeds of cattle can be continued. The one voiced by us cannot be called complete, but we have included in it only those varieties of livestock that can really be bred in our climatic conditions.
Growing technology
If you want a meat breed, then you have to remember two main production steps:
It is necessary to organize the correct reproduction of the herd and the maintenance of the resulting calves with their mothers for at least six to eight months.
Intensive subsequent fattening of young animals, including super-repair.
Recipe for success
As you might guess, it is impossible to receive income from the breeding of meat animals without having a farm with a powerful fodder base. Let's take a simple example. Suppose that from one hectare of your land you can get at least 20-30 centners of oats (a kilogram of oats corresponds to one feed unit). In this case, you can count on keeping about 110-120 animals. If you get about 40-45 centners of products per hectare, then you can keep about one and a half hundred cows.
And this is not all the features of breeding cattle of meat breeds. Let's talk about other nuances.
On what basis to create a meat farm?
There are several paths here. Firstly, you can buy purebred animals or purebred young animals. Today there is also the technology of transplantation of embryos of beef breeds of animals, as a result of which a variety of beef cattle is created adapted to local conditions. Finally, you can buy semen from meat breeds and inseminate the most developed cows of the black-and-white variety (local cattle) with it.
Please note that all meat breeds of cattle are large animals. Select cattle for crossbreeding so that cows do not have injuries during childbirth.
Organization of herd reproduction
The essence of the event is the annual receipt of a healthy calf from each cow that has reached physiological age. This is extremely important, since it is calves that are the source of the only beef cattle products as an industry. In general, the breeding of meat breeds depends on several factors. It:
The state of the forage base, the number of replacement young animals in your farm.
Timing of insemination of heifers. It should be noted that in this area it is necessary to act as carefully as possible: small animals are covered at about 15-16 months, and large ones at 17-18. They are brought into the general herd no earlier than at 24-25 and 26-27 months. These terms should vary, taking into account the general physical condition of the animals.
Method of insemination. Relatively recently, it was believed that in commercial herds, direct mounting of bulls is acceptable (especially if breeding of beef cattle breeds is practiced). Now this method is practically abandoned. Firstly, its use significantly increases the risk of leukemia in the herd. Secondly, it is very difficult to control the percentage of inseminated animals and to schedule calving.
It should be noted that in any case, you need to strive for winter-spring calving. The fact is that in this case, cows in the most important period of pregnancy eat fresh and calves, after a period of milk nutrition, immediately switch to full-fledged green fodder. All this contributes to obtaining the most healthy and productive animals, and the breeding of meat breeds becomes really profitable.
Checking the efficiency of insemination
In various literature, one can often find the statement that heifers must be checked for pregnancy without fail two months after insemination or natural mating. I would like to note that two months is too short a period.
In principle, an experienced veterinarian or livestock specialist will be able to determine pregnancy with a high degree of probability, but there is a considerable probability of early abortion: the fetus is especially tender during this period, so the slightest carelessness during rectal examination can lead to an early miscarriage in a cow . So experts advise conducting studies for the presence of pregnancy at three months.
Number of rejected animals
Note that this moment is also very important for the proper organization of the reproductive process. It is believed that at least 20 first-calf heifers should be introduced per 100 heads of adult animals annually. Thus, during the same period, it is necessary to remove the same number of adult cows from the herd, sending them for additional fattening before slaughter.
In principle, all animal husbandry (cattle) is characterized by this. Meat breeds of cattle must be cleaned of unsatisfactory animals especially carefully.
Violence warning
Here, once again, the duality of the use of natural mating is manifested. On the one hand, the constant presence of a bull in the herd will almost completely eliminate the possibility that a heifer in a state of hunting will not be inseminated. On the other hand, in the case of free maintenance and insemination, it can lead to large financial losses due to lost profits.
All new batches of sperm are checked without fail. If there are any violations, it is better not to use this batch of seed material in principle.
Create a journal to control cases of heat detection, a separate journal for registration of insemination.
Constantly carry out visual inspection of the herd. In case of detection of animals with damage to the external genital organs, it is important to promptly report this to the veterinary specialist.
If you are interested in the complete eradication of barrenness as a phenomenon, all bare heifers (after three months no pregnancy has been detected) should be culled, regardless of their breeding value.
In order to synchronize the cycles of hunting and insemination, it is recommended to use hormonal stimulation. It is especially useful in cases where it is required to cover animals that have exceeded physiological maturity.
Features of reproduction in meat breeds
As we have already said, meat breeds (cattle) are characterized by a long stay of a calf with its mother. This approach contributes to the high growth rate of the animal. But it also poses some problems.
The fact is that due to the constant mechanical stimulation of the udder, the hormonal system of the cow is somewhat rebuilt, as a result of which the frequency of “silent” hunting increases, which is not detected by general visual methods. In this case, more detailed inspection methods should be applied. In addition, you should also focus on the log of identified hunts.
In addition, meat breeds of cattle have other striking features. For example, they have a very pronounced seasonality of sexual cycles. In principle, there is no problem in this: it is more convenient to focus on those same winter-spring calvings that we wrote about above.
How to keep the maximum number of calves?
As we have already said, calves are the only products of beef cattle breeding, and therefore special attention should be paid to their safety. We recommend reading the following:
It is necessary to draw up a plan for regularly performed veterinary and zootechnical activities. This includes vaccinations, medical examinations of animals, quality control of feed and permanent recording of the dates and results of their insemination.
Farms that keep livestock must be subjected to mandatory disinfection, disinfestation and deratization.
It is important to note that not only unauthorized persons, but also wild and feral animals, which are natural reservoirs of infectious and parasitic diseases, should not have access to the territory of the farm.
Here is how to organize the cultivation of meat breeds of cattle.
Organization of loose content
In recent years, this method has again begun to occupy a dominant position in all countries where there is a more or less developed animal husbandry. Its advantages are obvious. Animals are less stressed, they are much more time in motion. In addition, the procedure for feeding and cleaning manure is simplified, which makes it possible to reduce the cost of production by reducing the number of personnel and the time of their work.
There are two ways of walking content: in completely open areas and in spacious rooms. Often these methods are combined to achieve optimal results. What about the calves? After all, if you keep them in the same room with adult animals, it will be difficult to feed them!?
Proceed as follows. The corral in the room is made in such a way that calves can pass freely between the bars of the fence. In the center there will be a platform where workers will additionally feed the calves. Along the perimeter of the barn, it would be advisable to organize "dens" for cows, in which there will be enough dry straw. Here the animals will rest.
In the south of our country, completely open walking areas are most often arranged. In the middle of the site, a covered paddock is made, in which at least half a meter of dry straw is laid. Even in the conditions of the southern winter (which can be quite cold), the animals will still be warm. The fact is that their urine and excrement, which will quickly be moistened with straw, contribute to biochemical reactions, during which a rather significant amount of heat is released.
Of course, for calving, animals must be driven away ahead of time to separate rooms adapted for this purpose. This will prevent the death of animals from dyspepsia, and in cows it will significantly reduce the likelihood of mastitis.
Throughout the cold period, bedding is gradually added, but the pen is not completely cleaned. In the spring, when the animals are transferred to a pasture-walking way of keeping, a bulldozer is simply driven there and all the accumulated manure is raked out.
About free mating
And further. If you still decide to use a bull for insemination, then you should remember about the optimal load on it. It is believed that one producer should have no more than 35-40 cows. In principle, the load can be increased, but the bull must be in good physical shape. In addition, it is highly desirable to organize its feeding with protein feeds (including those of animal origin).
Here's what you need to pay attention to if you are going to breed beef cattle.
