Hereford breed of cows is famous for its high meat yield, aromatic and delicate taste. Although it is impossible to milk such cows, since all the milk goes to feed the calf, farmers still recommend raising these cows because of the meat. In addition, Herefords are able to travel long distances, are not whimsical in the care and maintenance, and eat any grass.
Description and feature of the Hereford cow
This breed was developed in the 18th century in Great Britain. At first there were ordinary red cows, but they did not please the peasants with either productivity or appearance. They began to cross, until the first "excellent" Hereford calf was obtained. The name came about thanks to the English county of Herefordshire, it was on their territory that the first calf appeared.
A century later, the livestock was brought to Canada, and then to the United States, where the breed continued to improve in terms of constitution and muscle mass. In appearance, the cows have a strong and muscular physique; they acclimatize well even in the Northern and Southern countries. The most popular cows are famous in the following countries:
- Africa;
- Australia;
- New Zealand;
- America (south and north).
Cows came to the USSR before World War II, where they were crossed with local cows and received the white-headed Kazakh breed.
People from cities leave for villages to raise cows, farmers more often choose those breeds that quickly adapt to different climates and give good milk and meat productivity. Every farmer dreams of such a cow, because she has a strong constitution, the herd can be grazed all day in the pasture, and they also tolerate long distances well.
Outwardly, they look somewhat rude and differ from their counterparts in the following parameters:
- the neck is short;
- the head is white, wide and strong;
- color is red-brown;
- white color of the following body parts: nose, lips, withers, mane, neck, belly and tip of tail);
- the horns are white, the ends are dark;
- the sides are convex, the belly hangs down;
- thick skin;
- short but firm hooves;
- the mammary glands are weak.
Growth of an adult animal reaches 130 centimeters, chest circumference 195 centimeters. The weight of an adult female in Russian households is 600 kilograms of live weight, and bulls reach 850 kilograms. In England, a cow can weigh 700 kilograms and a bull 1 ton. By the age of two years, the weight of the bull varies within 800 kg, and that of the heifer is 600-650 kg.
Calves quickly gain weight, 900 grams per day, and sometimes this figure reaches 1.5 kilograms. At six months of age, heifers weigh 170 kilograms, and by the year 300 kilograms.
Now the Hereford cow is the most popular beef breed, since they do not require special care, they are unpretentious in nutrition and give good products.
Nowadays, there are three types of constitution of Hereford cows:
- undersized;
- medium;
- big high.
The life expectancy of such cows and bulls reaches 18 years, until the last day good productivity and fatness remain.
Productivity
Although for many years breeders tried to achieve precocity from these cows, they still failed to achieve this. The first time a cow settles at the age of 36 months. The breed belongs to the late maturing and it is aimed at meat productivity, so it cannot boast of the amount of milk, its amount is 200 liters. Cows have a developed maternal instinct, they become good mothers, but they do not allow other people's babies to come to them. Slaughter meat yield is as much as 70%. The meat is marbled, juicy and nutritious due to its high calorie content. There are thin fibers and the fat layer is very thin.
Meat indicators are inherited when crossed with other breeds, this is always kept in mind by breeders. The thickness and quality of the skin speaks of its high value. After all, from the skins of Hereford breeds, the frame of shoes, soles and insoles are made. In addition, on the market you can see bags, wallets and other products made from the skins of these animals.
The maximum amount of milk that a Hereford cow can produce per year is 1,200 kilograms, the fat content of which is 4%.
Hereford breed types
Cows were often crossed for good looks and performance. Herefords were crossed with an Aberdeen-Angus breed to get even stronger calves. Herefords also differ in what climatic conditions they bred and where they are kept.
Classic hereford
This species is distinguished by its reddish-variegated color, when the main body is red. The head is white. The pezhina at the bottom of the body merges with the pezhina on the head. This type of cattle is horned, they are directed either forward or down.
Hornless Hereford
The Hornless Hereford is due to mutation, they have no horns. To date, this species is the most common, because they are easy to care for and maintain. If the bull and the cow did not share something, then they will not do much harm to each other. They are no longer different from the classic type.
Black Hereford
Since Hereford cows are often crossed with other breeds, it is not surprising that the breed appeared, like a black Hereford. They are of Aberdeen Angus and Holstein blood. The characteristics are completely the same as that of the red Hereford breed, the only difference is in color. The black Hereford is usually larger than the red, so if the target is to be bred for meat, then the black breed is more suitable.
Care and maintenance of Hereford cows
Hereford cows are not dairy, therefore, in principle, they are not milked, their milk is intended only for feeding newborn calves. Toddlers receive additional food during pasture walking with their mothers.
Adults are quite voracious, because in one winter 15 heads can eat 200 tons of hay. Therefore, before introducing such cows, it is necessary to purchase a special equipment for mowing grass and harvest it in advance.
Care
The room where the cows are located must be dry and always clean. This breed quickly acclimatizes and gets used to any weather conditions, the cows are able to endure even northern frosts. As for drafts, there shouldn’t be so, all the cracks must be closed and the room a few times aired.
It is good to arrange a separate room where the cows will stay with the calves. In the stall there should be a pen for a cow and a stall for calves, in the middle of the room there are feeders and drinking bowls. Litter should always be dry, and clean water should be available around the clock. In addition, the barn must have a birthing room, where the cow is transferred three days before the expected date of birth and within seven days after.
The cows of this breed have elastic and delicate skin, so every day they need to be cleaned with a soft brush and rinse off the dirt, otherwise they will have lichen.
The best results for growing Herefords are noted in Orenburg. In addition, cows are bred in Novosibirsk, Omsk, Perm, Rostov, Chelyabinsk and Tyumen regions.
Cows of this breed are responsive, react quickly to changes in keeping or feeding. Before the fall, animals gain fat, which in winter will serve them as energy. Also in the fall they are overgrown with dense hair, and in the spring they fade.
In general, Herefords are non-conflicting, but nevertheless, in order to avoid disagreements and stress, cows should be grazed by age, that is, young animals separately, adults separately, as well as calves. But until the end of sucking, the calves are kept with their mothers.
Feeding
Hereford cows are unpretentious in feeding, which positively affects the economy. They feed on hay and crushed barley, slightly salted.
In order to feed a calf, mother spends a lot of energy, for this reason it is necessary to add to her feed:
- silage;
- rough concentrated feed;
- bone meal;
- mineral dressing.
Animals can graze from morning to evening in the pasture, and there is no need to choose places with special grass, Herefordians even eat weeds.
The best feeding method for Hereford cows is the combination. In the summer - natural grass and artificial land, and in winter concentrated additives, hay and silage. It is also important to add calcium, protein, phosphorus for the proper development of the young generation.
If the diet is formulated correctly, then the daily weight gain will be 1 kilogram per day, and the cows will easily tolerate severe frosts. But if the animals do not eat properly, then the gain will drop to 500 grams, and they will even endure even the weakest cooling.
Feeding is selected depending on the climate where the animals live, so whether the burenka is pregnant. Feeding of pregnant cows during the dry period is different.
This is how the diet of pregnant cows should look like during the dry period:
Product | Hay ration | Hay diet | ||
Live weight of a cow | ||||
500 Kg | 600 kg | 500 kg | 600 Kg | |
Grass hay | 4 kg | 4 kg | 2 Kg | 2 Kg |
Bean hay | 2,5 kg | 3 kg | 1.5KG | 2 Kg |
Spring straw | 3.5 kg | 4 kg | 3,5 kg | 3,5 kg |
Haylage | – | – | 9 kg | 10 Kg |
Corn silage | 9 kg | 12 Kg | – | – |
Concentrated feed | 1.4 kg | 1,5 kg | 1.4 kg | 1.5KG |
Salt | 54 g | 61 g | 51 g | 61 g |
Diammonium phosphate | 5 g | 6 g | 3 g | 3 g |
If the goal is to grow a cow with a lower fat content, then it is fed a little longer, and low-calorie foods are selected. If you keep pregnant cows before giving birth on poor nutrition, then there is a high probability of a pregnancy failure and the calf in the womb will die. If the cow gives birth, the calf may be weakened or sick.
Diseases
Herefords quickly adapt to any climate, and they can be kept outdoors even in winter. Cows are resistant to infectious and viral diseases. This breed has serious hereditary diseases, but only in southern countries, where the scorching sun. In the North, cows are kept exclusively in barns, where it must always be clean, dry, without drafts and the room must be ventilated several times a day.
Herefords, on rare occasions, may develop a condition such as eye cancer. It can also affect areas where the day is long with constant sun. Less likely to suffer from this disease are cows that have “black glasses” around their eyes.
On the muzzle of animals, the wool protects slightly from external influences, there is no wool on the udder, so they often get a udder burn due to the hot sun. Also, burns can be caused by food that increases sensitivity to ultraviolet light.
Vaginal prolapse is also found among hereditary pathologies, but this can also occur due to improper nutrition. On the other hand, if you overfeed a cow during pregnancy, the calf grows large and under strong pressure the uterus can fall out during calving.
Breeding
One of the main goals when breeding Hereford cows is to obtain tasty marbled meat. Due to the fact that the animals are on the walk all day, they quickly gain weight, the meat yield is 70%. The birth weight of the calves is not large, about 25 kilograms, so the birth usually takes place quickly and without complications. With the right maintenance of giving birth cows, the survival rate of calves is 98% and they almost never get sick.
Puberty occurs at approximately 30 months. First calving at 36 months. Good productivity is achieved through grazing, but, unfortunately, this is not possible in all regions of Russia. Therefore, it is recommended to change it, namely:
- to create perennial cultural pastures;
- plant annual herbs, use them in autumn and winter;
- use concentrated additives 35%.
It is recommended to graze in one area goals of the same age, and it is better to keep the calves that are on the sucker next to their mothers, thus achieving better growth.
Care and maintenance of Hereford calves
A newborn Hereford calf weighs between 28 and 35 kilograms. Since cows have a strong constitution, they give birth without complications, the calf mortality is 3%. With proper care and feeding, calves gain weight very rapidly and are early maturing. The development of calves depends on the initial body weight, milk production and proper nutrition.
If the milk yield is 1200 kg, then the calf must weigh 220 kg during weaning from the udder. If milk production is greater, then a calf at the same age will weigh 250 kg. The best time for childbirth is March-April. Indeed, during this period, succulent grass sprouts and it is more likely that milk production will grow, and with this the calves will gain weight better.
The calf should taste the first milk, which is called colostrum, in the first hour after birth. It has a yellowish tint in comparison with milk and is much more satisfying. Until the age of three months, they feed mainly on mother's milk.
From day 15, you can add a little succulent, and then concentrated feed. Hay must be gentle, harvested before flowering, and drying took place in the shade. It will also be useful to drink hay infusion, for this you need to chop the hay (always clean) and pour boiling water at the rate of 1 kilogram per 6 liters. Cover with a warm towel, wrap in a blanket and wait 7 hours. Before drinking the calf, filter the infusion and give it warm. Also per liter of infusion should add a gram of salt. On the second day, it is forbidden to leave the finished drink.
It is important to ensure that the calf sucks colostrum and milk calmly, in small sips, so it is properly digested and assimilated. What can not be said about drinking from a bucket, the baby greedily swallows in large gulps, a failure occurs in the fragile digestive system, hence problems of the gastrointestinal tract.
At the age of six months, the calf reaches 200 kilograms of live weight, during this period it is time to wean it from the mother’s udder and transfer it to independent feeding. Thus, it will gain weight faster and mature.
Until the calf reaches the age of six months, the owner chooses one of three feeding options:
- Traditional.
- Reckless.
- Regulated.
If the offspring appeared in the spring, then the traditional way is selected, this is when the calf with her mother grazes in an open pasture.
If the baby was born in the fall, then the best option would be a safe feeding method. Young animals are fed with artificial feed, achieving maximum weight gain. This option is expensive and heavy.
Regarding regulated feeding, this is when the calf is brought to the mother about once a day, gradually reducing the amount of feeding to 2 times a day.
Advantages and disadvantages
Hereford cows are considered unique because they:
- good manufacturers;
- easily acclimatized;
- easy to maintain and care for;
- easily hotel;
- high life expectancy - about 15 years;
- speed of weight gain;
- feed on any grass, even weed;
- not prone to infectious and viral diseases;
- high quality meat;
- have a calm character.
There are very few disadvantages and they are insignificant:
- in hot countries, Herefords can get udder burns;
- fear of drafts;
- voracity;
- fearfulness.
Farmers Reviews
Farmers keeping Hereford beef cattle left their comments:
Julia Vysotskaya, 35 years old, farmer. When choosing a cow, the question arose which breed is better to buy: dairy or meat, I immediately gave preference to the second option, in Russia beef is now expensive. Fear of cows and bulls remained from childhood, but still decided to get some Hereford cows and, to my surprise, they are really calm and affectionate, but they do not give milk to themselves. Marble meat is very juicy and tasty; it does not lose its value when cooked.
Denis Plotsky, 50 years old. I keep the animals purely for myself, of course there are a lot of whole cows or bulls for me, so I sell the excess to my neighbors. This year there was an offer to buy the Hereford breed, the price of them is of course expensive, but I was nevertheless convinced to buy them. I did not regret for a minute that I chose these bulls, they are calm, not whimsical in either care or feeding. I led these bulls to slaughter with tears in my eyes, but the marbled meat really turned out to be very tasty.
Chelyabinsk
We keep Holsteins, but recently we took two Hereford chicks. Of course, we will not try the meat for a long time, but about the character, I can say one thing with confidence that they will not be offended, they quickly get used to the new conditions of detention and feeding. They are not cocky, they try not to conflict with other cows, but they can also put them in their place. They quickly got used to my hands, but all the same they are timid, they do not allow strangers. Of course, vaccinations, vitamins and insemination only through a split will not stand on a leash either. As much as I was not discouraged and frightened by this breed, from experience I can say with confidence that the Herefords are an excellent breed for breeding.
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Hereford Cow is one of the best breeds for breeding for meat. It is impossible to milk such cows, their milk production is low, which is given to all newborn calves. In maintenance and maintenance, it is simple, the main lack of drafts and good nutrition. If you follow all the rules, then the cows will delight with their marble juicy and delicious meat.
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Russia. Krasnodar city
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