Contents
Today, people involved in breeding pets are thinking about which breed of cattle to choose for their farmstead. It all depends on which direction will be chosen: dairy or meat. But the Schwyz breed of cows is equally good for the production of meat and milk at the same time.
About the features of the care and rearing of animals, the rules of feeding will be discussed in the article. In addition, we will name the pros and cons of the Swiss breed of cows. So you will have the opportunity to think and make the right choice of cattle for your personal subsidiary farm or farm.
A bit of history
This breed of cows was bred several centuries ago in Switzerland, in the canton of Schwyz. Gobies of oriental breeds were used to improve local animals with short legs. Already at that time, breeders were thinking about breeding meat and dairy cows. In addition, the animals had to have strength and endurance so that the bulls could be used for peasant work.
Today, the Schwyz brown breed of cattle is an early maturing, highly productive and strong animal that provides both meat and milk.
Currently, Swiss cows are distributed throughout the world. Breeders continue to work to improve the breed today. Moreover, in each country, animals have their own differences.
In Our Country, the brown Swiss breed, obtained back in the XNUMXth century, prevails. Moreover, breeders have created three varieties:
- dairy;
- dairy and meat;
- meat and dairy.
Breeding farms treat Schwyz bulls with care, because the future of agriculture will depend on their health.
Description
General indicators
Although the Schwyz may have differences, you need to be aware of the common features:
- Swiss cows are brown in color, but the shade may be different. Differ in elastic and thin skin. The breed can be identified by the dark lead mirror around the nose and blond hair.
- The hair on the back is also lighter than on the sides and belly. Swiss bulls have a darker head and front of the body than heifers. See how majestic the animal looks in the photo.
- The forms of animals are proportional, but even here you can find a difference. In animals of the meat direction, the muscles are highly developed, they are wide in the body, but the udder is poorly developed. Dairy Swiss cows, on the contrary, are angular with an elongated body.
Dairy and meat breed, description
s prefer cows of the Schwyz breed of dairy and meat direction.
We pay special attention to the description and characteristic features of animals:
- large, up to 1 meter 34 cm in height;
- on a strong short neck is a small head, with a wide forehead;
- horns with dark tips;
- the chest in coverage reaches 187 cm, in width about 44 cm, and in depth about 70 cm;
- no dewlap;
- the udder is bowl-shaped, smaller than that of a purely dairy breed of cows;
- legs with black hooves are well set, distinguished by strength.
Weight categories
And now let’s dwell on the Swiss breed of cows – a characteristic of weight:
- Newborn calves are quite large, weighing 32-41 kg. At the age of one, both heifers and bulls gain about 300 kg. Already in a year and a half, calves weigh 350-370 kg under optimal conditions. As a rule, the daily gain should be from 800 grams to one kilogram. Here are the Schwyz calves in the photo.
- The weight of adult cows of the Swiss breed fluctuates around 550 kg. There are also record holders weighing almost 800 kg.
- The weight of bull-producers is approximately 950 kg. With excellent feeding and care, they can reach 1100 kg.
About Productivity
The Swiss breed of cows, even of the dairy and meat direction, is distinguished by excellent milk yields. The productivity of one animal is up to 3,5 tons of milk with a fat content of 3,6 to 3,8%. In breeding farms, this figure reaches four percent. Protein in milk is up to 3,6%, so a large yield of cottage cheese is obtained.
As for meat, the yield is about 60 percent. The Schwyz meat is of high quality.
Swiss cows on a farm:
To summarize
The Swiss breed of cows, unfortunately, is not available throughout Our Country, but only in 9 regions. Given the productivity of cattle, I would like these animals to settle on the farms and subsidiary plots of s and take a dominant position there. After all, sanctions from the West and America require the development of agriculture and the production of a large number of high-quality and environmentally friendly products.
Many of our readers are interested in what are the pros and cons of cows. Let’s label them.
Positive points:
- cows and bulls are hardy, large, practically do not get sick if proper care, feeding and maintenance are provided;
- rapid growth and weight gain;
- cows calve every year, sometimes give birth to twins;
- high yield of milk and meat;
- animals are calm, balanced, aggressiveness is not observed;
- feel great in any climatic conditions.
And now about the cons, because it would be unfair to our readers to keep silent about them. Although it should be noted that there are few negative sides:
- feed should be high-calorie and in large volumes;
- low productivity of milk;
- due to the non-standard udder, machine milking is inappropriate, although cows are still milked by hand on a personal farmstead and small farms.