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Little known, but promising for further breeding work, the Alatau breed of cows was bred on the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in 1950. The breeding of the Alatau breed began back in 1904. Then it was not even targeted selection work, but timid attempts to improve the indigenous Kyrgyz-Kazakh cattle by crossing it with Swiss bulls. Active selection work began in 1929, and the breed was approved in 1950. Today, the total population of the Alatau breed is more than 800 thousand cows.
History of the breed
Living in the mountainous region on the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, local cattle had high endurance, the ability to quickly gain weight on pasture and good adaptability to habitat conditions. But these were very small animals: cows weighed less than 400 kg. Disadvantages were also low milk yield - 500 - 600 liters per lactation. The advantage of this population of livestock was the high percentage of fat in the milk. The cattle were also noted for their late maturation.
To improve the productive characteristics of Kyrgyz-Kazakh cattle, in the first half of the twentieth century, more than 4.5 thousand heads of Swiss cattle were brought to Kyrgyzstan and 4.3 thousand to Kazakhstan.Schwyz cattle adapted well to the conditions of the mountains in the hot region, and the offspring obtained from local cows and Schwyz bulls, improved their productive characteristics.
In order to further improve milk productivity, Swiss-Kyrgyz crosses were crossed with bulls Kostroma breed, which at that time was bred at the Karavaevo breeding plant, located in the Kostroma region. Crossing made it possible to speed up the creation of the Alatau breed and increase milk yield, fat content and live weight of livestock. Ultimately, in 1950, the breed group was approved as an independent breed.
Description of Alatau cattle
Cattle of a dense constitution, with strong bones. The head is large, rough, with a long facial part. The neck is short, of medium thickness, with a low outlet. The withers are long and wide. The topline is not perfectly level. The sacrum is slightly elevated. The chest is deep and wide. The ribs are barrel-shaped. The dewlap is well developed. The croup is wide, short, straight. The legs are short, well set, and widely spaced. The udder is round, with cylindrical teats. In cows, the milk veins are well developed.
The color of the majority (about 60%) of Aletau cattle is brown.
Exterior disadvantages:
- drooping or roof-shaped croup;
- markings on the front legs.
Productive characteristics
Alatau cattle have very good meat characteristics. The weight of full-aged queens is from 500 to 600 kg, bulls from 800 kg to 1t. Subject to castration, the daily weight gain of young oxen can reach 800–900 g. The average slaughter yield of meat from a carcass is 53–55%. The yield from the ox carcass after fattening is 60%. The quality of the beef is high.
Dairy characteristics of cows This breed varies greatly depending on lines and breeding plants. The usual milk yield on farms is 4 tons of milk per lactation. There are 9 main lines in the Alatau breed, in which the average milk yield is 4.5-5.5 tons of milk with a fat content of 3.8-3.9%. The live weight of cows of these lines is about 600 kg.
The direction of selection of Alatau cattle today
Work on the breed continues. The goal of further selection is to increase milk yield and the percentage of fat in milk. In addition to simply selecting the best individuals, breeders add blood from other cattle breeds. A new line of Alatau breed with blood has already been created Jersey cows. The milk yield in this line is 5000 liters of milk with a fat content of 4.1%.
It was decided to abandon the use of Swiss bulls of American origin in favor of red-and-white Holsteins. Representatives of the Alatau breed are purchased in Mongolia, creating a new Mongolian-Alatau cow of the meat and dairy type.
Advantages of Alatau cattle
Among the advantages of the breed, first of all, it is necessary to note good milk yield and one of the highest milk fat content in the world. Cattle of this breed are also beneficial for beef breeding, as they can quickly gain weight on pasture. Disease resistance is another trait inherited from local Kyrgyz-Kazakh cattle.
Reviews from owners of Alatau cows
Conclusion
Alatau cattle could be beneficial for keeping by private owners in the Crimea, Krasnodar or Stavropol Territories. But due to the remoteness of the breeding areas, the purchase of this cattle can only be profitable for large farms. If large industrialists become interested in Alatau cattle, then gradually these cows will spread to private farmsteads. In the meantime, the entire mass of livestock is concentrated in 3 regions of Kyrgyzstan: Tien Shan, Frunzen and Issyk-Kul, and in 2 Kazakh regions: Alma-Ata and Taldy-Kurgan.
