Contents
The post-revolutionary devastation and the ongoing Civil War in the Asian regions of the former Empire, it would seem, did not at all contribute to the calm and competent work of livestock specialists. But time dictated its conditions. It was necessary to eliminate hunger and devastation, to feed the population of cities. Under these conditions, it was decided to create a meat breed of cattle.
The young Soviet Country could not allocate grain for livestock feed. There were not enough grains for the people. Therefore, the main requirement for the created breed was unpretentiousness and the ability to gain weight well on pasture. At that time, the unploughed Kazakh steppes were an ideal place for grazing, and the Kazakh white-headed breed began to be bred for them.
Inference history
The basis for the new breed was the local Kazakh cattle and the English breed of beef cattle – the Hereford. Local cattle did not have high meat characteristics. These were light animals more like dairy cattle. But due to the specifics of habitats, Kazakh cattle did not differ in milk production either. But he had other unconditional advantages:
- the ability to survive year-round only on pasture;
- undemanding to feed;
- high resistance to cold and heat;
- disease resistance.
Purebred cattle bred in more prosperous regions of the planet could not survive in the conditions of the Kazakh steppe. But he was distinguished by excellent meat characteristics. Therefore, it was decided to cross foreign beef cattle with a local breed to obtain animals that retained the ability to survive in the steppe conditions, but at the same time could produce high-quality beef.
In 1930, work began on breeding the Kazakh white-headed breed of cattle. It was bred by absorption crossing of local cattle with Hereford bulls. The new breed was approved in 1951. As we worked with the Kazakh white-headed population, two types were distinguished in the breed: meat and meat-and-milk. In modern Kazakhstan, this breed of cattle is in first place in terms of numbers.
Breed description
The Kazakh white-headed breed of cows is very similar to one of its “ancestors” – Herefords. But it differs from them in a larger and coarser head. The Kazakh white-headed have a well-pronounced meat type of build. Height 125-130 cm, length 150-155, stretch index 120. Chest circumference 187-190 cm. Metacarpal circumference 18-20 cm, bone index 15.
Kazakh white-headed animals are densely built, well muscled. The body is barrel-shaped, with a well-developed dewlap. The skeleton is thin, strong. Legs are short.
The color of the “Kazakhs” is the same as the Hereford breed of cattle: red with a white head and white pimples on the belly, legs and tail.
Productive characteristics of the breed
In terms of meat productivity, this breed argues with the Kalmyk and Hereford. The average weight of adult cows is 500-550 kg, bulls weigh 850 kg. The weight of meat-type producers can exceed 1 ton. The weight of calves at birth is small, only 27-30 kg. This greatly facilitates calving.
The breed of Kazakh white-headed cows is distinguished by a good response to feed, already by the time of weaning at the age of 8 months, the calves weigh 240 kg. By the age of 1,5, heifers manage to gain 320 kg, bulls 390 kg. The average daily weight gain during fattening on pasture is 450-480 g per day. The meat type, fattened on concentrates, can add more than 1 kg daily. The slaughter yield of meat is on average 53-63%.
The milk characteristics of the Kalmyk white-headed cows are not high. Milk yield for the lactation period is 1-1,5 tons. In Kazakhstan, where work is still underway to improve the breed by re-crossing with Herefords and selecting livestock according to productive indicators, milk-type milk yields reach 2,5 tons. From the best cows in breeding reproducers 5-6 tons of milk were received per year. The fat content of milk in these cows is 3,8-4%.
Advantages of Kazakh cows:
- resistance to diseases, especially colds:
- the ability to get their own food on their own;
- the ability to gain weight well on free grazing;
- easy adaptation to heat and cold;
- light calving;
- high quality beef;
- if they managed to catch and milk, then tasty full-fat milk with a high protein content.
Cattle fatten well by winter, so it is advisable to slaughter animals culled from breeding breeding in late autumn, when their weight is maximum.
Of the minuses of the breed, the need for extensive pastures for keeping livestock can be noted. It is pastures with the possibility of free grazing that ensure the high profitability of such cattle breeding. If cows are kept in the “traditional” style in a barn with a range, the animals will need to be provided not only with hay, but also with concentrates. Such a diet significantly increases the cost of the final product: “marbled” beef.
The second drawback of the breed is a highly developed maternal instinct. The Kazakh white-headed cow is ready to protect her calf even from the owner. Although the influence of the blood of the Herefords softened the temper of the original Kazakh cattle, in this respect the “Kazakhs” are very similar to the Kalmyk cows. This is explained by the fact that both breeds were bred and live in the steppes, where wolves are still found. Without a well-developed maternal instinct in queens, wolves will very quickly cut out all the young.
Areas favorable for breeding
Although in Kazakhstan this breed occupies a leading place among cattle, in Our Country there are also areas convenient for keeping this cattle. The areas for breeding the Kazakh whitehead in Our Country are:
- Altai;
- Buryat Autonomous Region;
- individual areas:
- Saratov;
- Orenburg;
- Samara;
- The Volgograd.
Also, this cattle is bred in Ukraine and Belarus.
Feedback from owners of Kazakh white-headed cattle
Conclusion
Given that there are two types in the breed, private traders can start these cattle even for milk. The meat-milk type has a good milk yield, almost twice that of the meat type. For private owners, this breed is beneficial for its unpretentiousness and frost resistance. Kazakh cattle do not need a warm barn.