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One of the most dairy breeds, which has already begun to win back points from the famous Friesian cattle, is the Ayrshire cow. These animals are now preferred by farmers because of their high milk production, longevity and trouble-free calving.
Ayrshires are native to Eyre, Scotland. The first mention of this breed appeared before 1800, but in those days the airshires were called “Dunlop”. The name was later changed to “Cunningham”. As a result, the name “Ayrshire” was assigned to the breed.
What representatives of cattle were used in the breeding of the Ayrshire cow is not known to anyone for certain. But theories certainly exist.
History of the Ayrshire breed
According to one version, Shorthorns, Jerseys, Herefords, Tiswater and Alderney breeds were imported to Scotland to improve local cattle. And in the last third of the XNUMXth century, Dutch cows were also added. True, not black and piebald, but brown and brown and piebald. As a result of this mixing, the modern Ayrshire breed arose.
According to the second version, the Ayrshire breed of cows originated in Holland. And it is unlikely that British historians studying the emergence of cattle breeds will be able to dissuade this. In 1750, they were crossed with some other breed of cattle, from which the Ayrshires got their red color.
In 1814, the breed was registered with the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) and from that moment its modern history began.
Due to their unpretentiousness, high quality milk, productive longevity and easy calving, Ayrshires have gained popularity not only in Scotland and England, but throughout the world. At the beginning of the 20th century, Ayrshire cattle were taken to the United States. And in the XNUMXth ayrshire could already be seen in many European countries.
At one time, Friesian (Holstein) black and white cattle became widespread due to the large volumes of milk produced. But with impressive volumes, the fat content of this milk is very low. The protein content of milk is also low. Holstein milk is watery and almost without cream.
Ayrshires, on the other hand, are almost as big as Frisians, but they produce fatter milk. Because of this, a reverse trend has already been outlined today: the gradual replacement of friezes by ayrshires. Active breeding of the Ayrshire breed, in addition to its homeland, is carried out in Australia, Finland, New Zealand, South Africa and many other countries. It is easy to see that this breed of cattle is common in countries with very different climatic conditions. Ayrshire breeding is carried out everywhere to increase milk yield without loss of milk quality.
Description of the Ayrshire breed
Ayrshires are medium-sized cattle with a typical weight of 540 kg. Some representatives of this breed of cattle can reach 600 kg. The weight of the bull is 800 kg. The growth of Ayrshire cattle is small. Usually within 130 cm.
Ayrshire cows have an ideal exterior for dairy cattle: light bones, deep chest, graceful head, proportionate build and thin skin. The sacrum is straight. The legs are short, with the correct set. Medium size udder.
The color of the Ayrshire cattle is red and piebald. Color variants of red spots can be from light red to dark brown. Depending on how the genes responsible for the piebald color are shuffled, the color of individual cows may be dominated by red or white.
The difference between a komologo animal and a dehorned one is that almost immediately after birth, a dehorned animal is cauterized the place from which the horns will grow. If the Ayrshire calf is not cauterized, in adulthood it will grow beautiful horns up to 30 cm long.
In the photo, the head of an Ayrshire cow without horns.
What happens if the calves are not dehorned in time
Luckily for farmers, there are already polled lines in the Ayrshire breed today. Still, cauterization of the horns is a rather complicated and dangerous process for the health of the calf. But being “horny” has its advantages.
Pros and cons of horned and polled animals
The advantage of polled is that they are safer not only for humans, but also for relatives. Not only bulls fight among cattle, but even cows, arguing for a place on the hierarchical ladder in the herd. With its horns, a cow can pierce an opponent’s belly or udder. The polled ones are calmer on their own and even during a fight they will not be able to inflict serious damage on their relatives.
In horned cows, the horns determine how many times a cow has calved. With each pregnancy, a “interception” or “ring” is formed on the horns of a cow. Since a cow must calve every year, the rings can accurately determine the age of the animal. 2 years are added to the number of rings, since it is at this age that the heifer happens for the first time.
This point must be taken into account when determining the age of an adult cow.
When buying a heifer up to 1,5 years old, age is determined by the length of the horns. In calves, horns appear at the age of 1 month, and every month they increase in length by 1 cm. By measuring the horns and adding 1, you can determine the age of the calf in months.
In polled and dehorned cows, age is determined by the teeth. But tooth wear is not a very reliable sign, since it largely depends on the hardness of the enamel on the teeth of a particular animal and the feed that the cow ate. Therefore, it can only be guaranteed that an animal is an adult if it has 24 molars in the oral cavity and 8 incisors on the lower jaw.
By the age of 16, only yellow thin stumps remain in place of the incisors. By the age of 17-18, the remains of the incisors also fall out.
Productive characteristics of airshires
In Australia, Finland, England and other countries, over 9000 liters of milk per year are obtained from Ayrshires. In Our Country, the figures are traditionally lower: 5-7 thousand liters. This situation is observed not only with Ayrshires, but with all breeds of cattle. Previously, this could be attributed to poor maintenance and theft. Today, farmers work for themselves, and many of them try to farm using Western technologies. But milk yield is still lower.
Nevertheless, farms are also working to increase the milk yield of ayrshires. In breeding work, they use not only their own producers, but also Finnish ones through artificial insemination. In addition, standards allow the blood flow of red Swedish and red Danish cattle, as related breeds. The breeding material of the Canadian Ayrshire population is also used. Thanks to all these measures, the milk yield of one of the types of Ayrshire breed, bred at the Novoladozhskoye farm, has already reached more than 8000 liters. milk per year.
But the quality of milk is really very good. Fat content 4,2%, the amount of protein in milk 3,5%.
The Ayrshire breed was bred for milk, not meat. Although individual bulls of the Ayrshire breed can weigh 1000 kg, but the slaughter yield of meat from the carcass is 50 – 55%.
How to choose a cow
Since Ayrshire cows are bought for milk production, there are certain signs of high milk production in a particular cow. A “milky” exterior does not always guarantee a good milk yield of a cow.
If the cow conforms to the dairy type, further examination can be continued. The animal must be healthy. A healthy cow has a smooth soft coat, a firm gait. The eyes are clear. Good health can be seen in behavior. The suffering animal will stand dejectedly, weakly reacting to stimuli.
Age is determined by horns or teeth. When deciding on age, you need to remember that when buying a heifer, you can only guess about her future milk yield, based on information about her mother’s productivity. When buying an adult cow, it is better not to take an animal older than 10 years. After this age, the cow’s milk production begins to decline.
The udder of a good dairy cow should be cup-shaped and well developed. A very large udder hanging below the hock is not an advantage, but a disadvantage. A cow injures such an udder on bushes, dry grass stalks and other debris.
A quality udder is cup-shaped, wide, highly attached at the back and protruding far forward, smoothly merging into the abdominal wall. The bottom of the udder is almost horizontal and is located at the level of the hock.
The “goat” udder looks like a triangle at the back. The nipples are close together, long and thick.
Another feature of a cow with a high milk yield is the good development of the so-called milk vein.
The photo shows an Ayrshire cow with signs of high productivity: a cupped udder and a well-developed milk vein.
Reviews of owners of Ayrshire cows
Conclusion
The Ayrshire breed is the golden mean between the rare Jersey breed of cows in Our Country and the Holsteins. The Ayrshire breed is good for those who want to get a large amount of milk with a high fat content. In addition, the Jersey breed is very expensive and the higher quality of the milk does not compensate for the cost of its purchase.