Kalmyk breed of cows
The Kalmyk breed of cows is on the list of domestic cattle, known for a long time. She has established herself as a good meat producer.
Kalmyk breed of cows
About Kalmyk breed
Bred once by the nomadic tribes of Kalmykia, the Kalmyk breed of cows was formed under the influence of unfavorable climatic conditions of habitat with year-round fattening on natural pastures. Thus, Kalmyk cows and bulls differ in endurance from artificially bred European cattle. They grew up in the steppes and mountains of the Central Asian regions under conditions of strict natural selection. They were bred in Mongolia and China.
In Russia, the popularity of the described breed of cows began approximately 3 - 3.5 centuries ago. At that time, it was bred in Siberian regions, in the Volga region and on the banks of the Don. Today, up to 90% of their livestock have been preserved on Russian territory in arid steppe regions and semi-deserts.
Kalmyk animals, which survived in the harsh continental conditions, lay a thick fat layer by the onset of the cold period, which allows them to endure frosts with confidence. At the same time, the quality and quantity of feed does not have a particular effect on the formation of the subcutaneous fat layer.
In the Kalmyk line, today there are 4 zonal types differing from each other in live weight: the Lower Volga, from Siberia, from Kazakhstan and the North Caucasian.
For the Kalmyk breed of cows, seasonal changes in weight indicators are characteristic. Even with a poor diet, animals are able to store fat deposits, sometimes losing up to 30-50 kg of weight during the winter season, while maintaining their fatness and dense constitution. Weight loss is quickly compensated for by grazing during the warmth of spring, when the animals have completely recovered the lost weight.
The pedigree work of modern domestic livestock breeding is aimed at improving the quality characteristics of Kalmyks, including an increase in early maturity, an increase in live weight gain and slaughter yield, and an improvement in the external data of animals.
The appearance of the Kalmyks
Today, the breed owes its exterior to the past nomadic lifestyle and year-round stay in open pastures with sharp changes in temperature regimes.
In appearance, the breed from Kalmykia is rather squat, with well-developed muscular and muscular mass. The height of the animals at the withers does not exceed 1.3-1.4 m with an oblique body length ranging from 1.45 to 1.6 m. The rear part of the animal's body is especially developed.
The animals are easy to recognize in the photo. The characteristics of the Kalmyk breed include a description of the main differences:
- harmoniously folded body with a fairly developed deep (0.7 m) and wide (0.45-0.5 m) dewlap, a short neck that immediately passes into the shoulder girdle,
- strong constitution with straight, stable, straight-set limbs,
- occipital crest on a small head, giving the impression of the presence of a hump,
- the horns of animals fold into a crescent shape,
- undeveloped udder, characteristic of animals of the meat, but not dairy direction.
The color of cows and gobies of the Kalmyk breed is predominantly red or red, diluted with white spots. The head of animals is most often covered with white markings, sometimes spots can be seen on the trunk and limbs.
In the cold season, animals are covered with a thick woolen layer with underfur, which plays a major role in thermoregulation. Thanks to such wool, Kalmyk cows are not afraid of frosts up to 35-40 ° C. With the onset of the summer season, their wool becomes smooth and shiny, reflecting the exhausting sun's rays, therefore the cows easily endure the sultry heat, staying around the clock on mountain heights and in the steppe regions.
Livestock breeders began to distinguish two types of cows from the Kalmyk breed:
- The first, early maturing, which is characterized by rapid growth rates with the smallest final mass, their skeleton is slightly lighter, the skin is thin, the lethal yield is ultimately less by 2-4%.
- The second, late-ripening, which does not differ in the intensity of development, but at the output gives more live weight.
By the age of maturity, Kalmyk gobies by the time they grow up gain weight up to 0.9-1.1 tons, cows weigh a little less, reaching a maximum weight of 0.5 tons. Calves are born with a weight of 22-25 kg or more.
Productive characteristic
In ancient times, representatives of the Kalmyk breed of cattle were used mainly as draft cattle. Currently, these gobies and cows of Kalmykia have become a source of a valuable meat product, known for its quality and taste.
Pedigree gobies of the Kalmyk breed in live weight reach 0.8-0.9 tons, while they are distinguished by intensive growth and weight gain. By the age of six months, they weigh in the range from 400 to 450 kg. Subject to favorable living and nutritional conditions, the slaughter yield reaches 67%, significantly exceeding the indicators of Shorthorn and Angus cattle.
Calves from Kalmyk cows gain 0.8-0.9 kg in weight per day.
From the carcass of the Kalmyk breed of bulls, up to 57-58% of meat is obtained and up to 10-11% of the fat component, which is folded in the form of marble layers.
The Kalmyk breed of cows, which belongs to the meat sector, does not differ in milk production. Its characteristics as a source of milk are satisfactory: annual milk yield is up to 1.2-1.5 thousand kg with fat content in 4.5-6%. The protein component in milk is in the range of 4.3-4.8%.
Bulls from Kalmykia act as genetic material in the production by crossing crosses with high quality characteristics.
Breeding advantages and disadvantages
Domestic livestock breeding notes a number of advantages in the Kalmyk breed of cows that make this cattle attractive for breeding:
- animals have natural endurance and independence from climatic conditions of keeping,
- unpretentious cows and bulls gain weight on pasture ranges, which in warm weather reduce the costs of farmers for their maintenance,
- The digestive system, well adapted to pasture vegetation, easily digests coarse feed,
- in winter, cattle do not lose their slaughter performance even with a decrease in the quality of feed,
- Kalmyk young animals have good survival rates,
- meat products have high quality characteristics, therefore, milk obtained in small quantities from Kalmyk cows has good fat content,
- cows remain capable of reproduction for up to 15 years, calving is characterized by the absence of complications, the offspring being born is healthy and viable,
- Kalmyks are characterized by high reproduction rates: there are on average about 90-95 calves per 100 heifers.
Naturally hardy Kalmyk cows and bulls do not require special care, and caring for them comes down to feeding and providing rest for at least 5-6 hours a day. They show regular weight gain even with a long haul, covering distances of 15-50 km per day in search of suitable food.
When choosing a Kalmyk breed of cows as livestock, it is necessary to take into account that cattle of this direction require large pasture areas for walking, their maintenance in a limited space does not justify the invested funds.
Among the features of keeping Kalmyk animals is the obligatory provision of livestock with water. In artificial living conditions, it is recommended to water Kalmyks at least 4 times a day, while in conditions of high temperatures in the hot summer period, the amount of water consumed, which averages up to 5-6 buckets per 1 individual, increases by 20-30%.
Among the disadvantages that complicate the maintenance of Kalmyks, livestock breeders note the manifestation of an aggressive character in heifers after calving, when, due to a highly developed maternal instinct, the cow does not allow the newborn calf to approach the newborn, which must be known and taken into account by beginners who have Kalmyks on the farm.