Content
Today, people who breed pets are thinking about what breed of cattle to choose for their yard. It all depends on which direction will be chosen: dairy or meat. And here is Shvitskaya cow breed equally good for producing meat and milk at the same time.
The features of caring for and raising animals and feeding rules will be discussed in the article. In addition, we will name the pros and cons of the Schwyz breed of cows. So you will have the opportunity to think and make the right choice of cattle for your personal plot or for your farm.
A little history
This breed of cows was bred several centuries ago in Switzerland, in the canton of Schwyz. To improve local animals with short legs, oriental bulls were used. Already at that time, breeders were thinking about breeding meat and dairy cows. In addition, the animals had to have strength and endurance so that the bulls could be used for peasant work.
Today, the Schwyz brown cattle breed is an early maturing, highly productive and strong animal that produces both meat and milk.
Currently, Schwyz cows are distributed throughout the world. Breeders today continue to work to improve the breed. Moreover, in each country the animals have their own differences.
In Russia, the brown Schwyz breed predominates, obtained back in the 19th century. Moreover, Russian breeders created three varieties:
- dairy;
- dairy and meat;
- meat and dairy
Breeding farms treat Schwyz bulls with care, since the future of Russian agriculture will depend on their health.
Description
General indicators
Although Schwitzes may have differences, you need to be aware of the common characteristics:
- Schwyz cows are brown in color, but the shade may vary. They are distinguished by elastic and thin skin. The breed can be identified by the dark lead speculum around the nose and light hair.
- The hair on the back is also lighter than on the sides and belly. Schwyz bulls have a darker head and front part of the body than heifers. Look how majestic the animal looks in the photo.
- The forms of animals are proportional, but even here you can find differences. Meat animals have highly developed muscles, they are wide in the body, but the udder is poorly developed. Dairy Schwyz cows, on the contrary, are angular with an elongated body.
Dairy-meat breed, description
Russians prefer cows of the Schwyz breed for dairy and meat production.
We pay special attention to the description and characteristic features of animals:
- large, up to 1 meter 34 cm in height;
- on a strong, short neck there is a small head with a wide forehead;
- horns with dark tips;
- the chest reaches 187 cm in girth, about 44 cm in width, and about 70 cm in depth;
- no dewlap;
- the udder is cup-shaped, smaller than that of a purely dairy breed of cows;
- legs with black hooves are well set and strong.
Weight categories
Now let's look at the Schwyz breed of cows - weight characteristics:
- Newborn calves are quite large, weighing 32-41 kg. At one year of age, both heifers and bulls gain about 300 kg. Already at one and a half years old, calves weigh 350-370 kg when optimal conditions are created. As a rule, daily weight gain should be from 800 grams to one kilogram. Here are Schwitz calves in the photo.
- The weight of adult Schwyz breed cows ranges around 550 kg. There are also record holders weighing almost 800 kg.
- The weight of bull calves is approximately 950 kg. With excellent feeding and care, they can reach 1100 kg.
About productivity
The Schwyz breed of cows, even those of the dairy and meat variety, are distinguished by excellent milk yields. The productivity of one animal is up to 3.5 tons of milk with a fat content of 3.6 to 3.8%. In breeding farms this figure reaches four percent. Protein in milk is up to 3.6%, so a large yield of cottage cheese is obtained.
As for meat, the yield is about 60 percent. The Shwitz meat is of high quality.
Schwyz cows on the farm:
Let's sum it up
The Schwyz breed of cows, unfortunately, is not available throughout Russia, but only in 9 regions. Considering the productivity of cattle, I would like these animals to settle on farms and subsidiary plots of Russians and take a dominant position there. After all, sanctions from the West and America require the development of agriculture and the production of a large number of high-quality and environmentally friendly products.
Many of our readers are interested in what the pros and cons of cows are.Let's label them.
Positive points:
- cows and bulls are hardy, large, and practically do not get sick if proper care, feeding and maintenance are provided;
- rapid growth and weight gain;
- cows calve every year, sometimes giving birth to twins;
- high yield of milk and meat;
- the animals are calm, balanced, no aggression is observed;
- feel excellent in any climatic conditions.
And now about the disadvantages, because keeping silent about them would be unfair to our readers. Although it should be noted that there are few negative sides:
- food should be high-calorie and in large volumes;
- low milk productivity;
- Due to the non-standard nature of the udder, machine milking is inappropriate, although cows are still milked by hand on private farmsteads and small farms.
