Contents
Originally , obtained by folk selection, the Kholmogory breed of cows was bred back in the XNUMXth century in the area of the Northern Dvina River. Bred in the north of Our Country, the breed is ideally adapted to the climatic conditions of the north. Since the XNUMXth century, attempts have been made to add the blood of the East Friesian cattle to the Kholmogory breed, but Holsteinization was not successful. Due to effeminacy, Dutch cattle could not have a significant impact on the Kholmogory breed. Even the black and piebald color of the kholmogorki had even before the addition of Holsteins to them. The original Kholmogory cows had three color options: black. White, and black and white.
The last attempt to add the blood of Holstein cattle was made in the late 30s of the twentieth century. The goal was to increase the milk yield and conformation of the Kholmogory cow. The result was a sharp drop in the fat content of milk. And the experiment was terminated. But since 1980, Holstein bulls have been used again on Kholmogory queens. As a result of crossing and breeding crossbreeds in different regions of Our Country, three intrabreed types were identified and approved in the breed:
- “Central”: the central part of the Federation;
- “Northern”: Arkhangelsk region;
- “Pechorsky”: Republic of Komi.
The Kholmogory breed of cows is one of the most common in Our Country. It is bred in 24 regions of the country. The number of Kholmogory cows is almost 9% of the total number of dairy cattle bred in Our Country.
Breed description
Height at the withers is 130 cm. The constitution is strong. The head is medium in size with a narrow muzzle. The neck is long, thin. The body is long, the chest is narrow, shallow. The girth of the chest is about 196 cm. The dewlap is poorly developed. The sacrum is wide. The position of the legs is correct. The udder is cup-shaped, medium in size. All lobes are evenly developed.
The suit is mostly black and piebald, but there are black and red and piebald. Very rare red. Given that the red color gene is present in the breed, but is recessive, the birth of red calves is fully justified.
The defects include the “goat” udder and the third pair of teats.
The advantages of the breed are their resistance to diseases characteristic of a cold climate, as well as a higher resistance to leukemia.
Kholmogorki differ in precocity. Their first calving usually takes place at 30 months.
Cows bearing twins are culled from further breeding.
Productive characteristics
With good care and proper feeding, the average Kholmogory cow is capable of producing 3,5 – 4 tons of milk with a fat content of 3,6 – 3,7% during the lactation period. Elite breeding stock from farms that continue to work on improving the productivity of Kholmogory cows has a higher milk yield. The table shows an increase in milk yield for the average livestock and in breeding farms. 5
Breeders seek first of all to increase the fat content of milk in this breed of cattle.
Work is also underway on the meat productivity of Kholmogory cattle. In general, Kholmogory has a good lethal yield of meat, so it is advantageous to leave bulls of the Kholmogory breed for fattening and slaughter.
The photo shows an adult Kholmogory bull.
The weight of an adult hillock is 450 – 500 kg, a bull is 820 – 950 kg. In an elite breeding herd, the average weight of individuals may be higher. Adult bulls of the Kholmogory breed are well muscled, and bulls quickly gain weight. Kholmogory heifers are born weighing 32 – 35 kg, bulls at birth weigh 37 – 39 kg. With a well-designed diet, calves at 6 months can already gain weight from 160 to 200 kg. Heifers usually weigh up to 180 kg, bulls from 180 kg. By the year, calves gain 280-300 kg. The slaughter yield of meat is 50 – 54%.
In the villages, the slaughter of six-month-old calves fattened on free summer grass is practiced. From the point of view of a private trader, this is the most profitable way to get meat. Keeping a bull in winter on purchased feed is less profitable. In farms, bulls are usually sent for slaughter at 1 – 1,5 years. It is unprofitable and very dangerous for a veterinarian to castrate a bull older than one and a half years. Usually bulls intended for slaughter are castrated at 6 months. Therefore, the available information about the fattening of Kholmogory bulls after a year and a half and daily weight gain of 1 kg is unlikely to correspond to reality. The only exception is the fattening of a culled sire before slaughter.
Most likely, the Kholmogory cattle suffer from the heat. Another disadvantage, from the point of view of the southern regions, is the “habit” of Kholmogory cows for an abundance of grass in the summer. Contrary to stereotypes, in the summer the north is very rich in herbs, often growing to the height of a person. It is bad with cultivated cereals there, therefore, the peculiarity of kholmogorok is the ability to fatten the body and give good milk yield on feed that is poor in terms of nutrition, that is, grass and hay. At the same time, the daily requirement of a cow for grass is 100 kg.
Feedback from owners of Kholmogory cows
Conclusion
The Kholmogory breed of cattle, for all its unpretentiousness and resistance to diseases, is not very suitable for breeding in such southern regions of Our Country as the Stavropol Territory, Krasnodar Territory or Crimea. But Kholmogory cattle is very common and loved in the northern and central regions, where it shows maximum productivity.