Varieties of meat breeds of bulls and cows
Meat breeds of bulls or cows differ from other representatives of cattle in that they gain weight much better, lend themselves to intensive feeding and are relatively picky about keeping and feeding. Also, animals of the meat direction have impressive dimensions and, when slaughtered, give more tasty meat with a high indicator of fat content and energy value.
Meat breeds of bulls and cows
If we compare a dairy cow with a beef cow, then the latter is not suitable for obtaining very good milk yield, while a dairy cow at slaughter will not give that amount of meat. We will learn about which beef cattle breeds are the most popular, which of them can be found in Russia.
Aberdeen Angus cows
These animals differ in appearance, since their coat is bright black with an acceptable red tan. The body shape is traditionally large, other breeds of beef cows have the same:
- the chest is wide open;
- limbs are not long;
- the neck is powerful, short;
- wide pelvis;
- a muscle pattern is clearly drawn on the skin;
- the growth of the animal from 1.2 to 1.5 m is quite high;
- horns are missing (cows and bulls are hornless);
- the coat on the surface of the skin is delicate and fine.
What is the meat of the Aberdeen Angus cow:
- the meat has a marble cut pattern;
- there are small fat layers;
- bone waste is no more than 18%.
A distinctive feature of the breed is that the animal is prone to obesity, this fact must be taken into account when drawing up the menu and daily diet. If you decide to use this cow for milking, do not expect large milk yields, as this is not a dairy breed. The maximum amount of milk per year is about 1400 liters.
Animals of this breed can boast of high weight at a fairly early age. So, bulls can weigh in some cases up to 1 ton, and cows - up to 600 kg.
Breed Aquitaine meat
These cows and bulls are classified as heavyweights. Outwardly, the animals are distinguished by a light color, usually it is a light brown or even beige tone. As in the previous case, the cows are large, have a pronounced muscular texture, the body looks elongated. The head is not heavy, although the forehead looks massive.
An adult goby can reach 1350 kg of live weight, while the female weighs at least 700 kg. The growth of representatives of this breed is about 1.4 m, at birth, a calf of the Aquitanian meat breed can weigh about 45 kg. The breed differs in that the calves are gaining weight at a record rate: up to 2 kg per day, although closer to the age of one year, the rate of weight gain drops to 1.5 kg. The meat has a delicate structure, there is a layer of fat, but insignificant.
Separately, it should be said that caring for this breed is not difficult, since cows and gobies take root well in any territory and climate, have a comfortable calm character, and live for a long time.
Auliekol cows
These cows received a ticket to life in Kazakhstan more than 30 years ago, but to this day the breed has not lost its popularity. So, now you can find representatives of the Auliekol breed everywhere, including in Russia. These cows are gray in color, more than 60% of livestock are born without horns, that is, they are hornless. An unconditional advantage can be called the fact that such livestock will with confidence easily tolerate a change in conditions of detention or the transition from one feed to another. It is also worth noting that the representatives of the Auliekol breed tolerate the cold well, as they grow overgrown in winter with an additional undercoat, this is another plus for purchasing such cows in Russia.
The average weight of a bull of this breed is about 1 ton, although isolated cases of a record weight of 1250 kg are known. A cow weighs exactly half as much: no more than 650 kg. During slaughter, the waste part takes about 35-40%, and the skin can be stratified into 5 layers, which makes them an excellent raw material for leather goods.
Belgian breed
The Belgian cattle breed belongs to the meat sector. The peculiarity of these gobies and cows is that the coat color is white or blue-white. A distinctive feature that makes you pay attention to the breed is that cows and bulls have enormous muscle mass. This can be explained from a scientific point of view: the production of a substance such as myostatin is genetically blocked in cattle, that is, nothing inhibits muscle growth in these animals, it continues throughout life.
However, this does not mean that Belgian calves are born with a large muscle mass, this is not the case. It is achieved in the process of life and becomes noticeable by about 2-3 months of life.
Already at the age of 1-1.5 years, bulls can weigh about 700 kg, reaching 1300 kg at puberty. Although there is information that this is not the maximum weight with proper fattening, that is, productivity can be increased. It is worth saying that the waste-free part of the cape can be about 75-80%, while the meat itself has excellent taste characteristics, is tender and juicy.
Galloway cow
This subspecies is ideal for keeping in areas where there is no dense vegetation. The animal has a well-built body structure:
- the chest is deeply set;
- the neck is powerful, wide;
- the back is straight;
- hooves are short, horn is wide;
- horns are missing;
- color from black to brown, blotches of yellow or white are possible;
- the coat is rough to the touch, slightly wavy, there is an undercoat (this will make it possible to graze cows even in winter, provided there is not a lot of snow).
Animals gain about 1.2 kg per day, while not reaching record weight, the same applies to offspring:
- female - up to 500 kg;
- male - up to 800 kg.
Despite the fact that the animals do not have a large mass, they boast excellent meat of the highest quality. It is distinguished by its marble texture, extraordinary juiciness and moderate fat content. Along with this, the Galloway cows can be attributed to a mixed orientation, that is, a dairy-meat breed of cattle, so about 1400 liters of milk from one individual can be milked per year. This indicator of productivity cannot be compared with that of a dairy cow.
Kazakh meat breed
As the name suggests, this breed of cattle for meat production was bred in Kazakhstan using the labor of Russian livestock specialists. Animals of this species have a red coat in general, although the limbs of the tail and the front of the chest can be colored in lighter colors.Like the previous breed, the Kazakh beef cattle is able to withstand severe winters, due to the fact that by this period it acquires an additional undercoat.
At birth, calves weigh less than 3 kg, but by the time they grow up, they increase their weight by 15-20 times. Despite the fact that the meat has good taste characteristics, it is possible to extract no more than 60% of the live weight from one carcass, which is not considered a good enough indicator of productivity.
Mensko-Angevin ladybug
This breed of cattle belongs to the meat sector. Due to its characteristic color, the breed is also called red meadow, although the main shade of the coat is still red. Gobies are distinguished by impressive dimensions, growth can reach a mark above 170 cm, which makes them giants among cattle of the meat direction. The same goes for weight, there is data on a bull weighing about 1650 kg.
Despite their gigantic size, these are quite calm animals with a docile nature, which makes their keeping convenient and comfortable. It is also worth mentioning about the mixed orientation, that is, until the moment of slaughter, you can get decent milk yield from cows. As with most things, the meat tastes great and is considered premium beef by consumer ratings.
Limousin Burenka
Another type of breeds for meat purposes is the Limousin cow. The color of her coat is red, golden-red, brown with noticeable lightening on the belly and thighs. This is not a hornless animal, the horns are small, have a lighter color in comparison with the body. What is the difference between the Limousine cow and her relatives? Despite the fact that the animal is considered heavy, outwardly it is a fairly well-built cow, its skeleton is medium-sized, although the hooves have a pronounced muscle layer, this is clearly visible in the photo. Many breeders jokingly call such a cow a limousine, since its body is unusually elongated, it immediately catches the eye upon external examination.
Limousines can live a long time, their age can reach 15 years. Since calves are born large, the birth opening of these cows is much wider than that of the rest.
Romagnole breed
The purpose of the breed assumes that the cows will be involved in agriculture as a force aid. However, at present, the breed has been retrained, now it is recognized as one of the meat breeds. What does such an animal look like:
- The body is large, rounded.
- The back acquires a square-like shape.
- Muscles are pronounced, muscle mass is gained quickly enough.
- The limbs are straight, symmetrical.
- The color of the coat is gray, but males can be darker in color.
- The offspring reproduce quickly.
At birth, the weight of the calf reaches 40-45 kg, already at the age of six months, the weight increases to 300 kg, and the animal weighs about 500 kg per year. The maximum mass reaches 2-3 years. The Romagnola goby can weigh up to 900 kg, although sometimes the mass can increase up to a ton. In this case, after the slaughter, the waste part will be about 30-40%. The taste characteristics of the meat product are quite high and are appreciated in the meat market for their excellent quality.
Hornless Russian cow
This meat breed is widely represented in Russia, as the name "Russian kolaya" speaks volumes about. Also from the name it is clear that the animal does not have horns, that is, it is practically safe for other animals and people. As for the physique, the body shape is standard:
- Dimensions are rectangular.
- The muscle relief is clearly visible.
- The head is not heavy, small in size.
- The chest, on the contrary, is wide, developed, with a pronounced dewlap.
- The back of the cattle is straight (both back and back).
- Symmetrical thick limbs with well-defined muscle tone.
- Russian lumpy leather is valued because it is thin and pliable; these are the qualities that are valued in furrier.
- The wool of cows and gobies is strictly black, the presence of spots and tan is unacceptable.
At puberty, animals grow to impressive sizes, their weight is:
- female - 500-600 kg;
- male - up to 1200 kg.
Zootechnicians note that animals of this breed are able to gain weight over a long period, that is, fattening can last much longer than is typical for other breeds.
The breed provides that animals can live in radically different climatic conditions. For this reason, Russian hornless cows can be found both in southern countries and, for example, in northern Russia. Animals are distinguished by the fact that they are unpretentious in care, nutrition and feeding, so you do not have to spend money on expensive feed or heating in the barn.
Charolais
Charolais, or Charolais cow, came to us from distant France. Its peculiarity is that after slaughtering, marbled meat is obtained with a low fat content, of excellent quality, and this is despite the fact that the fattening of the animal during breeding can last for a long time. If the goal is the consumption or sale of practically lean meat, but at the same time tasty and tender, you should think about purchasing the Charolais breed.
In addition, the following can be said about the breed:
- fast set of muscle mass;
- good and fast acclimatization.
Exterior:
- light coat color (white, beige, yellow, gray);
- the head is not large, although the forehead is wide enough (this is clearly visible in the photo or video);
- the neck is powerful, streaked;
- the chest is set deep, about 2 m in diameter;
- the dewlap is not pronounced;
- the back is straight, there is a barely noticeable sagging in the middle;
- the limbs are symmetrical, well developed;
- the growth of adults reaches a mark of up to 140 cm;
- the coat is not thick.
Markigian breed
The last breed that we will talk about is the Markijian. This pedigree breed was developed in Italy and took many years to breed until the goal was achieved. The main feature of Markigian cows is that they gain weight quickly and are well fed. Let's move on to the description of the animal, providing it in the list:
- These are fairly large animals.
- The hair color is white, gray or mixed.
- Weight gain is fast.
- Gobies weigh up to 1500 kg, cows - up to 700 kg.
- Bone waste can be up to 30%.
- The meat is traditionally tender and juicy, the muscle inclusions are weighty.
We have described the most common, best and popular beef breeds of cows, talked about their features, main characteristics and advantages. Knowing all this information, it will be much easier for you to decide on the question of which breed is needed to purchase your own cow or bull, all the more the quality of their meat is amazing.