The most popular cow breeds from around the world

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Thanks to the work of breeders, today there are a huge number of cow breeds. Scientists set themselves the task of raising a highly productive cow that will be distinguished by good health. A versatile breed that would have high indicators of both meat and dairy productivity has not yet been bred.

Breeds of cows

We will not consider all the breeds of cows that were born thanks to the tireless work of breeders, we will consider only those that have already been attracted by farmers.

Varieties of breeds

There are dairy or beef cows. A universal group can be singled out separately. This includes cows, which have average indicators of meat and milk productivity. We will look at representatives of all three groups, highlighting the most popular representatives of each.

Beef breeds include the following cows:

Galloway;
shorthorn;
auliekol;
Dmitrievskaya;
Aberdeen Angus;
Belgian.

Dairy breeds include:

Angler;
Dutch
sychevskaya;
zebu-like;
blue;
Angler;
Lebedinskaya.

Cows of the following breeds can be added to the universal group:

suksun;
Istobenskaya;
Holstein;
Yorkshire;
Buryat;
Alatau.

Suksunskaya

The emergence of the Suksun cow was facilitated by the work of domestic breeders. When breeding the breed, a red Danish cow was used, which was mixed with cows of local breeds living in the village of the same name. Suksun. During the period of improving the breed, the blood of Latvian, red steppe and Estonian cows was mixed. This had a positive impact on the productivity of the cows. We got a representative of the universal group.

Cows of this breed have a deep and at the same time narrow chest. The trunk is slightly elongated to match the chest, but the back and lower back, in contrast to the chest, are wide. In general, the animal is folded in proportion. On the head of a small size there are horns that have a curved shape. With an animal height of 1.30 m, its length is 155 cm.

Suksun cows give 3,500 kg of milk a year. The fat content of the product does not exceed 3.9%. The weight of an adult heifer is 480 kg, while the bull weighs 300 kg more. Productivity indicators are average, so the Suksun breed of cows has not gained wide popularity all over the world, although Russian farmers love Suksun cows and bulls.

Suksun cows are bred mainly in the Perm region. The animal is unpretentious in care and adapts well to the cold Russian winters, so it can be kept in any region of Russia. The only drawback of this breed is weak legs.

Angler

This cow is originally from Germany. It is believed that representatives of the Shorthorn breed were used in the breeding of the German cow. The fruit of the breeders' work is the dairy cow.

Outwardly, the Angler breed of cows looks massive and stately. A slightly elongated body is in harmony with a small and neat head, on which small horns are located. The strong bones are well built, the legs are elastic, the ribs are wide. The udder is shaped like a bowl. This form contributes to an increase in milk yield. The color is dark red, sometimes red. At the same time, the legs, head and neck are more pigmented. Here the color turns from red to cherry, but the transition is smooth.

With proper care, cows produce 5,500 kg of milk annually. Moreover, the milk has a fat content of 5.1%. With such fatty milk yields delicious cheese is obtained, so we can safely say that the breeders have done a great job. It is worth making a reservation about the taste of milk, which has a delicate aroma and sweet aftertaste. In addition to the excellent taste, the richness of the milk of the Angler cow with a large number of microelements useful for the body is also noted.

In addition to large milk yields, Anglers can boast of a good meat yield. This makes the breed popular all over the world. Anglers are most common in Europe, although they can also be found in the southern parts of Russia. As for the content, the Angler cows are unpretentious. However, they have a specific character that you can get used to. Anglers do not tolerate drafts and high humidity. This must be taken into account when constructing a barn.

Dutch

The Dutch cow deserves special attention, as it is one of the most ancient and popular all over the world to this day. Scientists reasonably believe that it is the Dutch woman who is the progenitor of many cattle breeds. In addition to the fact that the Dutch breed of cows is popular in Europe, it is also cultivated in Russia. If we talk about the type of cattle, then the Dutch cow gives high milk yields. At the same time, the indicators of meat productivity exceed the average characteristics.

The Dutch cow is well built, has well-developed muscles and strong bones. The line of the back is even, the length of the neck is medium, the head is large enough. Previously, flaws could be found in the appearance of the representatives of the breed. But, thanks to the work of breeders, today the animal looks almost perfect. His color is black and white.

Dutch cows produce 4,500 kg of milk each year (fat content - 4%). Heifers grow quite quickly, and already at the age of 1.2 years they can be mated. The weight of an adult heifer is slightly over 0.5 tons, and that of a bull is 790 kg. Today, breeders continue to work on improving this breed.

Sychevskaya

The Sychevo breed of cows became the fruit of the work of Russian breeders. In our country, this is one of the most common cattle breeds. This popularity is explained by the high milk yield and simplicity of keeping cows.

The height of the Sychevskaya cow is 1.35 m (average). She is folded in proportion and, thanks to the wide chest and large head, looks powerful. The well-developed musculature of the cows is noteworthy. The head of the Sychevsk cow is decorated with horns bent in the form of a crescent and directed forward. Her color is brown with white spots.

Milk productivity - 4 thousand kg of milk (fat content - 3.8%). The weight of the heifer reaches 550 kg. The bull weighs 350 kg more. At the moment, there are varieties of this breed of cattle, which have a dairy and meat orientation.

Representatives of the Sychevsk breed are able to adapt to any natural conditions. It is also worth mentioning good health and resistance to many diseases. However, calves should receive a well-balanced diet. With a lack of certain minerals, the animal will grow weak and sickly.

Galloway

The Galloway breed of cows was formed back in the distant 17th century, but at that time the exterior within the breed, like the color, was significantly different. The breed has been perfected over the years.Galloway is a large and at the same time compact animal with rounded shapes, which does not look very much like a cow. A feature of the cow is wavy short hair. On her head there is a forelock (kaptur) falling over her eyes. A specific feature is rigidity.

There are cows of different colors, but black color predominates. There are both monochromatic cows and representatives of 2 or 3 colors. If we talk about representatives of 2-colored colors, then, as a rule, animals have a wide white "belt" from the chest to the waist. The rest of the wool is dyed brown or black. Representatives of 3-colored colors do not have a clear pattern. There is white, brown and black.

Galloway cow gives 1500 kg of milk per year (fat content - 4%). A lower milk yield, perhaps, cannot be found. If we talk about meat productivity, then a Galloway cow gains an average of 500 kg, a bull weighs 300-350 kg more. But it should be said not only about quantitative indicators, but also about qualitative ones. Galloway meat is appreciated in the market due to its taste.

Unfortunately, today this breed of cattle is extremely rare. It is suitable for grazing.

Zebu-shaped

The Zebu breed is unique. It turned out as a result of crossing Holstein cows and zebu bulls. A feature of the zebu-like cow is resistance to many diseases that affect cows, goats and other livestock. The fat content of milk, and this cattle is valued due to its high milk productivity, exceeds the fat content of milk, which is given by other breeds. In terms of appearance, the compact animal has a tubercle at the withers called a zeb. And farmers simply say that the cow is hunchbacked. It stores nutrients in this hump.

One cow gives about 9000 kg of milk per year. At the same time, the life expectancy of zebu-like cattle in large farms is 10 years. It is difficult to find a second breed that would have even approximately the same characteristics. On average, the life expectancy of cows and bulls in large farms does not exceed 6 years.

Unfortunately, this breed is extremely rare in our country. This is due to the fact that new breeds require improvement and technology, and, unfortunately, only a few farmers who keep up with the times and are ready not only to receive maximum profits, but also to provide proper care for livestock.

Istobenskaya

The Istoben cow is not a large breed. Despite this, she looks rather rude. The reason for this is the rough head with an elongated face. The height of the animal does not exceed 1.30 m, while its legs are quite high. The burenka is painted black and white, with more black than white.

The Istoben cattle can be classified as a universal breed, since it has average indicators of both meat and dairy productivity. One heifer per year gives no more than 3700 kg of milk, the fat content of which averages 4%. But sometimes the fat content of milk reaches 5.5%. To achieve such a fat content, you need to monitor the diet of the heifer and the conditions of its maintenance. The weight of the Istoben cow does not exceed 500 kg. If we talk about the average, then it is 450 kg.

It should be noted that these animals can adapt to almost any climatic conditions and have strong immunity. As for the disadvantages, it should be noted that this cattle has a saggy back and rather poorly developed muscles. Therefore, animals do not differ in endurance.

Golshtinskaya

Holstein is a versatile cow. She's good in every way. She not only gives good milk yield, but also pleases with weight gain. The homeland of this animal is America. Due to the black or red-and-white color on the pasture, the Holstein cow is easy to spot. As for the exterior, the body resembles a wedge in shape, the shoulders and lower back are wide.Attention is drawn to the large udder, which, despite its size, is tight. In general, the exterior corresponds to dairy cows. The color is often red and variegated. There are individuals of the black-and-white suit.

Holstein breed of cows

Milk productivity is about 7000 kg per year. At the same time, cases were recorded when a cow gave a yield of 10,000 liters of milk. Milk production is influenced not only by housing conditions and quality of care, but also by climatic conditions. The higher the milk yield, the lower the fat content of the milk. The average fat content of milk is 3.5%.

Heifers grow up to 700 kg, and bulls - up to 900 kg, but these are average figures. If you provide the livestock with proper care and proper nutrition, then you can increase the meat production by 200-300 kg.

Shorthorn

Shorthorn is a beef cattle. The homeland of the Shorthorn cow is England. Breeders had to spend a lot of time and effort to improve the exterior and performance indicators, but the result was worth it. It turned out to be a well-built animal with an interesting color. The cow is of medium size. Its height does not exceed 1.30 m. The legs are of medium length, the body is moderately massive, the head of medium size is proportional to the body, short horns. The color is brown with white, while brown or white does not always predominate.

An adult Shorthorn heifer weighs 600 kg, a bull - 1000-1200 kg. But such indicators can only be achieved with proper care. Shorthorn meat is prized for its delicate taste with layers of fat (marbled meat). As for milk production, the annual milk yield is 2400 kg. The fat content of milk does not exceed 4%.

Yorkshire

The Yorkshire cow came to us from Scotland. This country is not the mildest climate. Accordingly, the cow is good in that it can adapt to almost any climate, which allows it to be kept in regions of Russia with severe weather conditions. Despite the fact that the body of the Yorkshire cow is slightly elongated, it looks good. The short neck does not spoil the exterior. Her legs are of medium length, the head is medium-sized. The suit can be varied. You can see representatives of the breed with black, red and even chocolate color. 2-colored cows are also not uncommon.

A friendly and docile nature is a feature of the breed. This cow can even be called sentimental.

Heifer weight - 510 kg, bull - 750 kg. One cow gives milk of 4.5-5 thousand kg per year. At the same time, the fat content of the product varies from 4 to 4.5%. Accordingly, it is beneficial to keep cattle of this breed both in small and large farms.

The advantages of the breed are a quick weight gain, unpretentious care and the possibility of grazing. These animals do not need a barn. It is enough to build a building that will protect the wards from precipitation. It is also worth noting that the Yorkshire cow needs less feed than many other breeds.

Auliekolskaya

Auliekolskaya is a rather unusual breed. And its uniqueness lies primarily in the fact that the wool is dyed in a milky or ivory color. Representatives of this breed are kept mainly in Kazakhstan, which is the birthplace of this cow. The number of Auliekol cows does not exceed 13,000 heads.

Keeping representatives of this breed is not easy enough. This is due to the fact that they are very demanding on nutrition, so you need to take responsibility for the preparation of the menu.

As for the exterior, the Auliekol breed has developed muscles, a large body, a powerful neck with sagging skin, short legs and a compact head. The Auliekol cow has no horns.

If we talk about focus, then this is the meat type. Heifers weigh 550-600 kg, and bulls weigh 400-450 kg more. The Auliekol breed attracts farmers by the fact that the calves are rapidly gaining weight. Also worth noting is the high quality of the beef.

Blue

The blue cow is not just the most popular breed in Latvia, but the country's calling card. In all of Russia, unfortunately, there are no representatives of this rare breed. Already from the name of the breed, one can understand that a feature of the cow is an unusual color. Today it is difficult to say something about the origin of this miracle of nature. According to legend, the breeders did not put their hands to the origin of the blue cow.

This cow is dairy oriented. The annual milk yield is about 5000 kg. The advantage of this breed is its resistance to diseases and adaptability to various climatic conditions.

Buryat

The Buryat cow is a leader in terms of profitability. The advantages of the Buryat cow are unpretentiousness, resistance to various diseases and energy. This cattle is suitable for both pasture and stable keeping. At some point in time, scientists thought that the Buryat breed had disappeared, but today work is underway to restore it.

It is difficult to say specifically what indicators of milk and meat productivity are characteristic of a Buryat cow. Scientists will be able to give the exact answer after the completion of work on the restoration of the breed.

Dmitrievskaya

One of the modern breeds is Dmitrievskaya. Today, the Dmitrievskaya cow is not as good as scientists expected, so the work on breeding a meat breed continues. Initially, scientists wanted to get a breed that would quickly gain weight and survive in any acceptable climatic conditions. For the most part, scientists have coped with the task. We worked on breeding this breed in Russia.

The Dmitrievskaya cow has an elongated body, a neat medium-sized head, an even back and loin. Color - red and white. In this case, the red color predominates.

The weight of an adult heifer reaches 550 kg, bulls are 100-150 kg more, but work is still underway to improve the breed. This applies not so much to the exterior of the cows as to their productivity.

Angler

Anglerskaya is a dairy cow. She comes from Germany, or more precisely, from the island of Angler. Initially, no one was engaged in raising livestock of this breed, but, noticing the advantages of cows, scientists had a hand in improving the breed.

The color of Angler cows is red, although there are also cows with a cherry-colored coat. The decoration of this cattle are long curved horns that "look" upwards. It is not only the shape and length of the horns that attracts attention, but also their color. At the base, they have a light shade, at the ends they are almost black.

Also draws attention to the thin neck, on which the skin is taken in small folds. A rather narrow back is in harmony with a thin neck, the body is elongated. However, this is typical for all dairy cows. The body is muscular and the skeleton is strong.

This highly productive breed produces 5000 milk per year, the fat content of which is 5-5.5%. Often it was possible to obtain a product with a fat content of 6%. A heifer weighs about 550 kg, and the weight of a bull of this breed is 800-900 kg, but this indicator depends on the quality of nutrition.

Angler bulls are often used for breeding because they have excellent genetics.

Aberdeen Angus

The Aberdeen Angus cow has a black color and a hornless gene. This means that all calves are born hornless. As for the exterior, there is a discrepancy between the small head and the massive body. The forehead protrudes slightly forward, and the occiput is narrow. The neck is large and massive, the shoulders are muscular. There is also disharmony between the long torso and short legs. But for the breeders, it was not the appearance of the Aberdeen Angussians that was important, but the indicators of their productivity. The color is black.

The heifer weighs 520 kg and the bull 850 kg. These are the average values for a full diet. Often, heifers gain 650-700 kg, and the weight of bulls is 1000 kg.

The indicators of their productivity are influenced not only by the quality of care, but also by genetics, therefore, when conducting breeding work, gobies with exceptional genetics should be taken.

Lebedinskaya

Cows of the Lebedinsky breed are distinguished by high milk productivity. Their homeland is Ukraine (Sumy region). Accordingly, Lebedinskaya Burenka is a creation of breeders, not of nature. When conducting breeding work, Swiss cows were used. The gray-brown color of cattle is pleasing to the eye, and it is proportionally complex. The color on the front and sides of the animal is more intense than on the belly and back. The height is slightly over 1.30 m, and the length is 1.60 m. Accordingly, the animal has a rectangular format.

With regard to the characteristics important for the farmer, weight gain occurs quite quickly. Heifers weigh an average of 525 kg, and gobies - 950 kg. The one-year-old milk yield is 5000 liters with a milk fat content of 3.8%.

Alatau

Alatau is a burenka of a combined type. Accordingly, it can be kept both for milk production and for high-quality beef. Outwardly, the Alatau burenka looks like beef cows. It has a rounded shape, well-developed muscles and a powerful bone. At the same time, the udder of medium volume has the shape of a bowl, which is typical for dairy cows.

Like all cows of the combined direction, the Alatau cows have good indicators of milk and meat productivity. The weight of the heifer is 550 kg, and the annual milk yield is 4500 kg (fat content 4%). Sometimes milk has 1-1.5% higher fat content. The weight of the bull is 900-950 kg.

Belgian

The Belgian pigeon cow has a specific appearance. It turned out as a result of crossing meat bulls and dairy cows. Maybe the goal was to get cattle of a combined direction, but in the end a good beef breed came out. It is a muscular animal with medium-length legs, a short head and neck, and an elongated body. His height is 150 cm (plus or minus a centimeter does not matter). Despite the somewhat frightening appearance, the Belgian cow has a meek disposition and gentle character.

Large cows of the Belgian breed are striking in size. The weight of an adult heifer reaches 900 kg, but bulls sometimes weigh more than 1000, or even 1300 kg. A heifer gives no more than 4000 kg of milk with a fat content of 4% per year. Unfortunately, this breed is not cultivated in our country.

Belgian blue cow

We have considered far from all breeds of cows. Also noteworthy are the Kian breed, and the Aquitanian, and Azherol, and Frisian, and Stavropol breed of cows. Rarely are representatives of the Gomitinogorsk breed, Hungarian gray, Braford, Salerian cow, Swiss (Swiss breed), Chianina, fluffy or plush cow. Also ignored were the white-fronted, Ayshir, Guernsey and Altai cows, the Highland rock breed (you can endlessly admire the graceful movement of this cow in the video), representatives of the Canadian, Moscow, Swedish and Australian breeds, Tagil cows, Smolensk bulls, Charolais (French cows), cows obrak. The Obrak breed is popular in Tatarstan, although it appeared in southern France. It is worth noting that the Obrak breed is still cultivated in France today. The red-and-white cow, which was recently bred, is considered promising. The selection of red-and-white work continues at the present time.

Selection features

Choosing cow breeds should be based on several factors.

Features of the climate. So, for example, even within Russia and Ukraine, climatic conditions are different. And if we consider only Russia, then in the Urals the climate is more severe than in the central regions, so it is worth paying attention to those breeds of cows that can adapt to a cold climate or were bred specifically for keeping in such conditions.
Livestock size.We have not considered mini breeds, which are impractical to grow on large farms, but are quite suitable for home keeping. It is easier to look after them, and as for their productivity, it is slightly inferior to the productivity of large breeds, if we are not talking about elite representatives. In addition, small livestock does not need a lot of space, therefore, it will be easier and cheaper to build a barn. It is enough to watch the video to cope with this task on your own.
Habitat. It is advisable to pay attention to the popular breeds of cows in Russia. Those cows that have been bred in a particular country for more than a year are adapted to climatic conditions, which is important. And with climate change, it is not known how animals will behave and how this will affect their productivity. So, let's say, you shouldn't breed French, Danish or Swiss breeds in Russia or Belarus. Their productivity indicators will not be as high as in their historical homeland, even if the acclimatization process is successful.
Genetics. It is worth purchasing calves on farms where specialists are engaged in cattle breeding. Pedigree individuals are more stable and have a strong immune system. You should go shopping on your own in order to operate when choosing not photographs of calves, but to see them live, although it will not be superfluous to study the breeds of cows with names and photos. They are engaged in breeding elite livestock in the Voronezh, Bryansk and Leningrad regions, and the Krasnodar Territory. If we talk about Ukraine, then for the acquisition you can go to the Poltava region.

If we talk about the distribution of cattle in a specific territory, then in the Republic of Belarus (Belarus), a black-and-white cow, a brown Latvian and a red-and-white Holstein cow are popularized. The black-and-white cow can be called Belarusian, in view of the fact that it is she who is bred on farms and gives more than 90% of the annual milk yield of the entire country. Russian breeds are considered to be Ayshir, Holstein, Sychevsk and Yaroslavl. There is also a large number of livestock, which is the result of the work of Russian breeders. For Ukraine, the red-speckled cow, the red steppe and the white-headed cow are productive.

Livestock breeding

If you can choose small or even dwarf breeds for home use, then it is better to breed so-called “large” breeds of cows on the farm. This is due to their high productivity. Representatives of breeds of different directions, including the combined type, should be bred. It is important to decide what the farm is needed for, and for this you need to study the demand in the market.

It is also important how the cows are taken care of. We will not deal with the description of how to carry out care, since this is a separate topic, but note one point: it is necessary to monitor the productivity of animals. If the indicators are below normal, then the reason lies in improper care or nutrition.

Breeding work involves adherence to certain rules. It is important to use purebred bulls with a good genotype. It is possible to cross representatives of Caucasian or American breeds with local cows. As a rule, such experiments give good results and have a positive effect not only on the exterior of animals, but also on their productivity.

Conclusion

It cannot be said which breed is the best or the most promising. It all depends on the purpose of raising cattle. It is not for nothing that cattle breeding works all over the world are carried out in different directions. If we consider the classification, then only cows from one group are subject to comparison. Everyone must decide for himself which breed will be the most optimal, based on personal needs.

We have considered far from all breeds of cows, since this would take a huge amount of time. We did not dwell on rare breeds (Angora and Head, for example).When choosing cows, you should pay attention not to the appearance, but to their productivity, although the appearance should not be ignored, since the animal will give large milk yield and growth only if the owner takes care of him with love. Their productivity depends on whether the owner satisfies all the needs of the animals: how much milk they will give and what quality will be the meat received from them.

Accordingly, the cow should be liked in all respects, and the breeds of cows with their photos should be considered. It will be useful to watch the video. When choosing, you should carefully study the features of each breed of cows, their productivity, familiarize yourself with the available photos and video materials. This is the only way to make the right choice.