How to choose a calf

Beginning farmers and farm owners often do not have the necessary skills to choose the right calf. Selecting and purchasing a healthy calf is a rather difficult task for inexperienced livestock farmers. Regardless of the purpose of purchasing young cattle, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the features and rules for choosing calves.

Features of choosing calves

When choosing a calf, first of all, you need to pay attention to the appearance. A healthy calf's coat should be shiny, elastic and soft. Tousled, dull and rough fur should be a warning sign.

Also, when choosing a calf, you should pay attention to the eyes - they should be clean, without purulent crusts. Watery eyes and purulent discharge indicate the presence of an inflammatory process (conjunctivitis, keratitis, thelaziosis). The heifer's nose should be slightly moist, without any discharge. When choosing a calf, you should also pay attention to the ears - they should be mobile, not drooping.

When selecting and examining a heifer, you should also pay attention to the presence of damage to the skin and coat (ticks, lice, fungus). Improper feeding, lack of vitamins in the body, and metabolic disorders lead to the development of rickets. Often in such individuals it is noted:

• curvature of limbs;
• lameness;
• gibbosity;
• hair loss;
• disruption of the digestive tract and respiratory system.

Bald patches in the anus, buttocks and hocks often occur with frequent diarrhea after the use of antibiotics. The calf's tail should be dry - the tail and sides stained with feces indicate problems with the digestive system.

When choosing a calf, the future owner must monitor its behavior - healthy bulls are active, curious, not afraid of people and have a good appetite.

How to choose a dairy calf

When choosing a calf for dairy productivity, each farmer primarily pursues the goal of obtaining large yields of high-quality milk. It is recommended to select dairy calves—future dairy cows—from breeding farms, livestock complexes, dairy farms, or from trusted breeders. They can guarantee that the animal is healthy and provide a pedigree with information about the productivity of the mother of the future dairy cow, as well as information about the sire, the productivity of his mother and daughters.

When choosing a future milk cow, you should pay attention to the Holstein, black-and-white and Yaroslavl varieties of cattle, common in Russia and abroad.

The Holstein variety of cattle is one of the most popular and profitable in Russia due to its high milk yield - up to 8 tons of milk per year, fat content - 3.7-3.8%, as well as the rapid growth and significant live weight of the livestock.Animals are very susceptible to changes in microclimate, feeding, living conditions and other stress factors. Therefore, before making a choice in favor of Holsteins, it is necessary to prepare good housing conditions and food supply.

Holsteins are bred in breeding and farm farms throughout Russia. However, in private farms these animals are less common due to their capriciousness and complex maintenance features.

The black-and-white breed of cows is widespread throughout Russia. These animals adapt well to new climatic conditions and maintenance without loss of milk yield. During the lactation period, cows produce 6.5 tons (up to 8 tons) of milk with a fat content of 3.5-4%. Heifers reach sexual maturity early at approximately 13-14 months and calve easily with a high offspring survival rate of approximately 95%.

The Yaroslavl breed of cattle is famous for its high milk productivity, unpretentiousness in feeding and maintenance. A cow produces 3.5-6 tons of nutritious milk per year with a fat content of 4.5%. During her reproductive years, a healthy cow can produce up to 5 calves. Animals have good immunity. The disadvantages of representatives of this type of cattle include poorly developed muscles and thin bones.

The following breeds of dairy cattle are also common in Russia:

1. Ayrshire.
   
2. Kostroma.
   
3. Dutch.
   
4. Kholmogorskaya.
   
5. Red steppe.
   
6. Jersey.
   

How to choose the right calf for fattening

When choosing a calf for fattening, it is advisable to pay attention to meat and meat and dairy representatives of cattle. Specialized cattle breeds for meat production are characterized by high growth rates of young animals over a long period, as well as high rates of final live weight and slaughter yield.

The ideal age for purchasing calves for fattening is considered to be 1.5–2 months, however, experienced breeders and farmers advise choosing bull calves at least 4-6 months old; when choosing, you should also pay attention to the weight of the animal. Young animals of six months of age are already adapted to eating feed and, with high-quality feeding, begin to quickly build muscle mass with a weight gain of 800-900 g per day.

The Kazakh white-headed variety of cattle is characterized by early maturity, easy adaptation to harsh climatic conditions and the ability to quickly gain weight even with a meager food supply. The weight of a newborn calf is 25-30 kg; with intensive fattening, by the age of 15-18 months, live weight reaches 450-470 kg. The Kazakh white-headed variety is common in the Orenburg, Saratov, and Volgograd regions.

Hereford The breed of cattle is considered the most common among meat animals in the world. Herefords adapt well to harsh climate conditions and rapidly gain weight even with a meager diet. Calves are born quite large; bulls at the age of 18 months weigh about 500-550 kg. Hereford meat is prized for its marbling and high quality.In Russia, Herefords are common in the Rostov, Saratov, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk regions, Altai and Krasnoyarsk territories, and in the Far East.

The Kalmyk variety of cattle is distinguished by its unpretentiousness to housing and feeding conditions. When choosing calves of this breed, one should take into account the fact that these animals have good immunity and perfectly adapt to feeding on pasture. Newborn calves weigh about 24-30 kg, and young animals at the age of 18 months reach live weights of 500-550 kg. The digestive system of these animals is adapted to digest any grass growing on the pasture. The Kalmyk variety is distributed over most of Russia, Kalmykia, Buryatia, Rostov and Astrakhan regions.

The Aberdeen Angus variety of cattle adapts well to any climate and has excellent immunity. Aberdeen calves are born with a relatively low weight of 20-22 kg, however, by the age of one and a half years, the young animals, thanks to intensive growth, reach a weight of 350 kg or more. Aberdeen meat is prized for its marbling, characterized by streaks of intramuscular fat. In Russia, this type of beef cattle is common in the steppe regions, Orenburg and Volgograd regions, Stavropol and Altai territories.

The Simmental breed (meat and dairy, meat type) is one of the most popular varieties of cattle in Russia. These animals perfectly adapt to any climatic conditions, are very hardy, mobile, and resistant to diseases. Simmentals are valued for high-quality meat with a fat content of no more than 12-17%.The average milk yield of cows is 3000-5000 kg of milk with a fat content of 3.7-4.1%. Newborn calves weigh 40-45 kg, and steers at 18 months of age weigh about 400 kg. The Simmental variety of cattle is common in the Belgorod and Voronezh regions, Bashkiria, Altai and Krasnoyarsk territories, and the southern regions of Siberia.

The following representatives of cattle breeds for meat production are also bred in Russia:

1. Charolais.
   
2. Limousinskaya.
   
3. Galloway.
   
4. Russian komolaya.
   
5. Santa Gertrude.
   
6. Salers.
   

Tips and tricks

When choosing a calf for fattening, it is advisable to give preference to those breeds that are most common in the region. Otherwise, difficulties may arise with acclimatization. The severe stress that an animal experiences during transportation, changes in climate and living conditions will certainly affect its health.

You should not rush to purchase and select a calf based only on photographs. When choosing and purchasing a calf, you must carefully examine the animal, communicate with the breeder, study the documents and ask all your questions.

When choosing and purchasing a calf from a large livestock enterprise, it is necessary to clarify the age, weight, and obtain information about vaccinations.

Also, when choosing young animals, you should pay attention to the living conditions and feeding of the calves. Young animals raised in dirty calf barns, in unsanitary conditions (dirty feeders, drinking bowls), and also not receiving high-quality feed in the required quantities, regardless of breed and value, will often get sick and will not reach even average productivity levels.

Conclusion

In order to choose the right calf for a farm or subsidiary plot, first of all, it is necessary to determine the goals for purchasing cattle. For dairy farms, the ideal choice would be Holstein, Kostroma, Black-and-White, and Dutch breeds. To breed livestock in order to obtain a high-quality meat product with a high slaughter yield, you should pay attention to healthy, strong calves of the Kalmyk, Kazakh white-headed, Hereford and Simmental varieties of cattle.

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