Content
The formation of the black-and-white breed began in the 17th century, when local Russian cattle began to be crossed with imported East Frisian bulls. This mixing continued unsteadily for about 200 years. Until, after the 1917 revolution, the Soviet government took the breed seriously. As part of a program to improve the breed over 10 years, from the 30th to the 40th century, a large number of East Frisian and Dutch cattle were imported. They imported not only bulls, but also heifers. The imported cattle were distributed among farms in the central zone of the USSR, in the Urals and Siberia.
As a result of selection work, a significant array of black-and-white cows was formed, dispersed throughout almost the entire “cool” part of the USSR. The breed produced offspring based on 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 when breeding 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, cattle were divided into breeds according to 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 distributed throughout almost the entire territory of the former Soviet Union. Cattle of this breed are found not only throughout Russia, but also in all former republics of the USSR. This was greatly facilitated by the high adaptability of the breed. Among the large offspring, internal types of black-and-white cows also stood out. There are several dozen such types.
Average description of the breed
Dairy breed. The animals are quite large. The weight of adult cows ranges from 480 kg in mass herds 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, for bulls the height is 138-156 cm, the oblique length is 158 - 160 cm.
Exterior characteristic of dairy cattle:
- light graceful head;
- thin long neck;
- long body with a 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 elevated;
- croup straight, long;
- legs are short and powerful. With the right placement;
- the udder is well developed, cup-shaped.
The black-and-white cow is well adapted to machine milking, which is one of its advantages. The almost ideal udder shape allows the use of milking machines without restrictions. But in this case there is one peculiarity: the more Holstein blood in an animal, the more regular its udder shape.
The color is piebald.Black and white spots may occupy approximately equal areas of the cow's body, or one of the colors will predominate.
Average productive characteristics of the breed
The milk production of a given type of livestock often depends on which breed and type the particular animal belongs to. Average milk yield is 3700–4200 kg per year in a mass herd. 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 little, very fatty milk. When such milk is diluted with water to the required fat content, the yield from the cow is greater than that from the record holder for milk yield in liters.
Protein in the milk of black-and-white cattle is 3.2-3.4%. When milking by machine, milk yield is 1.68 l/min. That is, in one minute the device pumps 1.68 liters of milk out of a cow.
Spotted cattle also have good meat characteristics. Beef obtained from steers has good taste and texture.
Cattle are precocious. Heifers begin mating at 18 months. The first calving in breeding farms is 29-30 months; in mass livestock, the average calving period is 31 months. Cattle quickly gain muscle mass. Newborn calves weigh 30-35 kg. By the time of mating at 18 months, heifers have already gained from 320 to 370 kg. The average daily weight gain of this cattle is 0.8-1 kg. By the age of 16 months, replacement young animals gain 420-480 kg of live weight. On average, the slaughter yield of beef from a carcass is 50 – 55%.
The photo of a breeding bull clearly shows the muscle mass that animals of this breed possess.
After the calf is weaned, the self-repairing heifer should not be overfed. If she receives the same amount of feed as fattening calves receive, the udder will grow 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 exactly how many breed offspring and intra-breed types there are. Only individual, largest offspring can be examined.
Altai spawn
Initially, the group was bred by absorption crossing of cows Simmental breed with black-and-white bulls. Later Holstein blood was added. Today, cattle of this group have one or another degree of blood according to the Holstein breed.
In the photo is an old-type cow of the Altai offspring of the Katun state processing plant in the Biysk region
In this individual, the elongated forms of Simmental meat and dairy cattle are still visible.
The yield of Altai cows is 6-10 tons of milk per year. But only under the condition of proper feeding and maintenance. The slaughter yield of meat from the carcass is 58-60%.
Ural spawn
The cattle of this group were formed by crossing East Frisian and partly Baltic black-and-white sires with the local Tagil breed. The average milk yield of animals in this group is only 3.7-3.8 tons per year. Low milk yield is compensated by the relatively high fat content of milk - 3.8-4.0%.
The photo shows a cow of the Estonian group - one of the ancestors of the Ural cattle.
Siberian spawn
Formed by crossing Dutch sires with local cattle.The size of the animals in this group is small. Productivity is low, about 3500 kg per year. Cattle do not differ in milk fat content: 3.7-3.9%.
Great Russian spawn
It was formed in the European part of Russia by crossing Dutch black and white cattle with Yaroslavl uteruses, Kholmogory and other local cattle breeds. A small amount of blood from the Swiss and Simmental breeds was infused. Representatives of the group are large animals with high milk production. Cows in 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%.
The photo shows a sire of the Great Russian group of cattle bred in the central regions of the Russian Federation.
These cattle are now bred even in Tajikistan.
Reviews from owners of black and white cattle
Conclusion
Black-and-white cattle, due to their high ability to adapt to any climate, are almost ideal for keeping on private farmsteads. With a relatively small size, it has high milk productivity and good response to feed when fattening bulls for slaughter.
