Aberdeen Angus breed of cows
Aberdeen Angus is a cattle bred in Scotland. This breed is very popular with farmers in a number of countries, including Russia. The reason for this is the high maturation rate of these animals as meat producers. In addition, their meat is considered one of the most valuable varieties of beef.
Aberdeen Angus breed of cows
The breeding of this breed is carried out solely for the sake of obtaining meat, since these animals cannot be called dairy producers.
Origin and exterior
The Aberdeen Angus breed of cows was developed in the eastern Scottish counties of Aberdeen and Angus at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Their genetic ancestor is black hornless cattle, improved through selection. The name Aberdeen Angus originated in 1775, when Scottish farmers began to improve the appearance and productivity of livestock. Almost a century later, they already exported the first cows and bulls of this breed to the United States, and from there these animals were already distributed throughout the world.
Modern cattle of the described meat breed differs little from their centenary ancestors, the main characteristic of which is early maturity. Even after seeing a single photo of these animals, we can conclude that this solid black beast has an impressive muscle spill even being in the ranks of young animals. Its formidable appearance is not unfounded: a feral angus can be very aggressive and even dangerous.
A typical domestic cattle, Aberdeen Angus, has the following appearance features:
- The color is most often black.
- The head is small, with a sloping forehead, a short snout and a narrow occipital part, passing into a short and powerful neck.
- The shoulders are muscular and wide, the volumetric chest with developed pectoral muscles.
- A perfectly straight back from withers to rump.
- The body is round, compact, muscular and with short limbs.
- The hair is soft and short.
- The skin of these cows is very thin and flabby, but thickened due to the extensive layer of fatty tissue typical for representatives of this beef breed.
Characteristics of fertility and meat productivity
Aberdeen Angus calves are born small, with a small mass. The weight of heifers varies from 22 to 25 kg, and the weight of gobies - from 22 to 28 kg, but young animals grow and gain weight very quickly. Their characteristics asserts that by the age of six months, the calves reach 180 kg, and by the age of 3 years - up to 500.
Up to 8 months, calves are raised with the direct participation of the cows themselves. They have a well-developed maternal instinct, and the milk is nutritious enough to promote rapid growth. It is better to keep adult bulls separately during this period.
Meat bulls (those that are fattened for meat) are often castrated. Such a bull is gaining muscle mass more intensively, but it must be remembered that in this case there is a great danger of obesity, therefore, intensive care and a well-thought-out feeding system are required. The best age for slaughtering castrated bulls is 10-14 months.At that time, their marbled meat was especially nutritious.
Adult cows gain weight up to 550 kg, while the body weight of bulls is 750-950 kg, while good fattening and the necessary maintenance allows males to reach a weight of a ton.
The meat of these animals has a deep red color, it is marbled, due to insignificant layers of intramuscular fat, it does not have a pungent animal smell. It makes the best steaks. When slaughtered, most of the carcass is meat, since this cattle has a very thin skeleton, as a result, bones make up only 17% of the entire carcass.
Maintenance and breeding
The Angus breed is frost-resistant. This cattle is able to adapt to any climatic conditions without any problems, easily endures bad weather. If the cows have a vast territory with rich pastures in the access zone, then even adult bulls will not need additional feeding. Grass meadows are an abundance for them. The cattle will provide themselves with food, so that large cash costs for its maintenance will not be required.
In terms of breeding, the Angus breed is unpretentious. Calves are raised on suction, due to which they have a very strong immunity: they practically do not get sick. Over time, you can feed them with compound feed and crushed grain. It is important to monitor the quality of the complementary food, because calves of this breed, like adults, are very prone to obesity. It is necessary to ensure that their weight does not go beyond the normal range. Do not forget that the main purpose of breeding these animals is their wonderful marbled meat, and excess fat can damage this product and the life of the animal will become painful.
Heifers of the Aberdeen Angus breed very quickly mature, already at 14-15 months the first insemination takes place. Their recommendations for natural fertility (pep) are very high, since calving occurs very easily, without outside help.
Disadvantages of the breed
Perhaps the most negative characteristic that the Angus breed is famous for is this: this cattle is wild. Animals quickly wean themselves from people as a result of long-term free grazing, may try to escape and show serious aggression - this is especially observed in adult bulls, in young non-castrated gobies during puberty (gobies become quite nervous during this period) and in cows when they protect their offspring. Therefore, it is recommended to regularly drive livestock to where there are always people. For example, in the barn.
Also, problems can arise due to the propensity of these animals to obesity. But this can be easily avoided if the maintenance of pets is carried out at the proper level. To do this, you need not to overfeed the cows of the breed in question and take proper care of them. In general, the Aberdeen Angus are quite unpretentious.