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Little known, but promising for further breeding work, the Alatau breed of cows was bred on the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in 1950. The breeding of the Alatau breed began in 1904. Then it was not even a purposeful selection work, but timid attempts to improve the native Kyrgyz-Kazakh cattle by crossing it with Swiss bulls. Active breeding work began in 1929, and the breed was approved in 1950. Today, the total livestock of the Alatau breed is more than 800 thousand cows.
History of the breed
Living in a mountainous region on the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, local cattle had high endurance, the ability to quickly gain weight on pasture and good adaptability to habitat conditions. But these were very small animals: cows weighed less than 400 kg. The disadvantages were also low milk yield – 500 – 600 liters per lactation. The advantage of this population of cattle was the high percentage of fat in milk. The cattle also differed in late maturity.
To improve the productive characteristics of the Kyrgyz-Kazakh cattle in the first half of the twentieth century, more than 4,5 thousand heads of Swiss cattle were brought to Kyrgyzstan, and 4,3 thousand heads of Swiss cattle to Kazakhstan. Swiss cattle adapted well to the conditions of the highlands in the hot region, and the offspring obtained from local cows and Swiss bulls improved their productive characteristics.
In order to further improve milk productivity, Swiss-Kyrgyz hybrids were crossed with bulls of the Kostroma breed, which at that time was bred in the Karavaevo breeding plant located in the Kostroma region. Crossing made it possible to speed up the creation of the Alatau breed and increase milk yield, milk fat content and live weight of livestock. Ultimately, in 1950, the breed group was approved as an independent breed.
Description of Alatau cattle
Cattle of a dense constitution, with strong bones. The head is large, rough, with a long facial part. The neck is short, of medium thickness, with a low exit. The withers are long, wide. The topline is not perfectly level. The sacrum is somewhat elevated. The chest is deep and wide. Ribs are barrel-shaped. The dewlap is well developed. The croup is wide, short, straight. The legs are short, with the correct set, widely spaced. The udder is round, with cylindrical teats. Milk veins are well developed in cows.
The color of most (about 60%) of the Aletau cattle is brown.
Exterior flaws:
- hanging or roof-shaped croup;
- markings on the front legs.
Productive characteristics
Alatau cattle have very good meat characteristics. The weight of mature queens is from 500 to 600 kg, bulls from 800 kg to 1 ton. Under the condition of castration, the daily weight gain of young oxen can reach 800 – 900 g. The average slaughter yield of meat from a carcass is 53 – 55%. The output from the carcass of an ox after fattening is 60%. The quality of the beef is high.
The milk characteristics of cows of this breed vary greatly depending on the lines and breeding plants. The usual milk yield in farms is 4 tons of milk per lactation. There are 9 main lines in the Alatau breed, in which the average milk yield is 4,5-5,5 tons of milk with a fat content of 3,8-3,9%. The live weight of cows of these lines is about 600 kg.
The direction of selection of Alatau cattle today
Work on the breed continues. The aim of further selection is to increase milk yield and percentage of fat in milk. In addition to simply selecting the best individuals, breeders infuse the blood of other breeds of cattle. A new line of the Alatau breed with the blood of Jersey cows has already been created. The milk yield in this line is 5000 liters of milk with a fat content of 4,1%.
The decision was made to abandon the use of Swiss bulls of American origin in favor of red-and-white Holsteins. Representatives of the Alatau breed are acquired in Mongolia, creating a new Mongolian-Alatau cow of meat and milk type.
Advantages of Alatau cattle
Among the advantages of the breed, first of all, it should be noted good milk yields and one of the highest rates of milk fat content in the world. Cattle of this breed are also beneficial for meat breeding, as they can quickly gain weight on pasture. Disease resistance is another trait inherited from local Kyrgyz-Kazakh cattle.
Feedback from owners of Alatau cows
Conclusion
Alatau cattle could be profitable for private owners in the Crimea, Krasnodar or Stavropol Territories. But due to the remoteness of breeding areas, the acquisition of this livestock can only be beneficial for large farms. If large industrialists are interested in Alatau cattle, then gradually these cows will spread to private farmsteads. So far, the entire mass of livestock is concentrated in 3 regions of Kyrgyzstan: Tien Shan, Frunze and Issyk-Kul, and in 2 Kazakh ones: Alma-Ata and Taldy-Kurgan.