The Kalmyk breed of cows is one of the very first breeds of Asian origin. It was brought to the Caspian steppes in the 17th century. Today it is the best breed of meat direction. Nomads formed this breed in cruel conditions in China and Central and Central Asia. They were strongly influenced by weather conditions, lifestyle and poor climatic conditions, and daily cow maintenance.
Description of Kalmyk breed cows
400 years ago, the Kalmyk breed of cows became widespread in Siberia, the Volga region and the Don shores. The main difference between this breed is longevity, endurance and a strong body structure. Females and males have a crest on the back of the head - this is the main difference from other breeds. Animals were strictly selected depending on utilities, the best cows were selected, and the worst were rejected. Cattle were formed under the influence of a harsh climate with daily grazing.
Animals are red with white spots, red, red-motley, or brown-motley, with crescent-like horns. The weight of an adult cow can reach as much as 500 kilograms, and bulls up to 1100 kilograms. A newborn calf weighs approximately 25 kilograms.
Kalmyk breed can also be recognized by the following characteristics:
- crescent-shaped horns;
- strong constitution;
- the lower back is elongated;
- nimbleness;
- ribs are widely spaced;
- fleshy neck;
- the head is not heavy;
- the chest and chest are well formed;
- the belly is round and slightly sagging;
- prominent udder;
- wide withers;
- the skin is rather thick;
- hair is long;
- the back is straight;
- legs are flat and massive.
This breed is often crossed with other bulls to obtain new types of meat or meat-greasy breeds. The Kalmyk animal has excellent genetic material. All breeds that were crossed with a Kalmyk cow inherited resistance to weather conditions, and to any climate, quickly walk weight, graze in the pasture from morning to evening.
The Volga region farmers crossed Kalmyk breeds with Shortgrn and Simmental breeds to improve the quality of cows. But even after such a cross, they realized that a pure breed still has better qualities than a crossed one.
In the Volga region in 1928, breeders, when they had 1,200 livestock, identified and noted such qualities as:
- adaptability to the Russian climate;
- rapid weight gain, in females 600 kilograms, and in males 1 ton;
- high percentage of slaughtered meat;
- juiciness of meat.
Today, farmers who keep cows in steppe dry conditions are doing this. On strong sunny steppes, only 90% of all animals feel well. This is due to the fact that other breeds are not so adapted to such severe climatic indications and their productive indicators are reduced.
The most popular Kalmyk breed in the following regions of Russia:
- Lower Volga;
- Kalmykia
- Stavropol region;
- Rostov region.
A little later they began to be bred in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. There are no competitors to Kalmyk cows in these foreign regions.
At home, a bull can grow up to 900 kilograms of live weight, and calves with good feeding and proper care by the year and a half already weigh 450 kilograms. With proper feeding, slaughter weight is 66%, much higher than other breeds of cows. The slaughter weight of a one and a half year old bull is 60%. The carcass comes out weighing 200 kilograms.
Farmers often keep precisely the Kalmyk breed of cows, because its meat is tender, when slaughtered a lot, fat also has excellent taste. They also begin to breed early, cows are good mothers, they quickly feed themselves, gaining rapidly weight. Kalmyk cows and bulls calmly endure various weather conditions and quickly get used to the new climate.
Important features of cows
A feature of the Kalmyk breed of cows is the positive dynamics of gaining live weight. In winter, Kalmyk cattle lose 30 to 100 kilograms of weight, but even in this situation, the animal looks well-fed before going to the pasture, that is, in spring. In one season, when the cows are in the pasture, they can gain from 50 to 60 kilograms of fat.
In this breed, fat is collected not only under the skin itself, but also between the muscles. In winter, when the animal does not have enough grass and nutrients, as well as poor feeding, this fat reserve serves as energy.
Due to the fact that the animal is 75% fat, which is also located between the muscles, their meat is unique and very tasty. The Kalmyk breed of cows (compared to others) is resistant to temperature changes, they feel great in extreme cold and in unbearable heat. Scientists have found that this is because they have a unique structure: the skin sheaths have many outlets of the ducts of the sebaceous glands, while other dairy breeds of the cows have one passage.
Therefore, fat lubricates the hair well, which is what allows them to freely tolerate wind, frost and heat. Fat deposits in the summer protect the animal from overheating, and in winter, on the contrary, from frostbite.
This breed is often crossed with others to obtain meat quality of dairy-meat and just dairy breed. Kalmyk cow is a source of good genetic material, it was this breed that participated in the creation of the Kazakh breed and Russian kolola. The resulting breeds, as well as the Kalmyk ones, are hardy to any climatic conditions, namely they tolerate both severe frosts and extreme heat. They also walk well and gain weight quickly, there is a valuable biological basis.
The productivity of Kalmyk cows
As for milk, the breed provided is not of high value, since the milk yield per year is 1 or 1.2 tons. There are individual specimens that can produce up to 3 tons per year, but this happens if the calf is fed artificially. Milk fat is 4.5 percent.
Kalmyk breed is appreciated by marbled meat, which has excellent taste and aroma, although it has a bright red color with yellow streaks. Gobies of this breed can be sent for slaughter when it reaches a weight of about 500 kg, this happens in about a year and a half. An adult bull weighs about 600 kilograms, there are times when a bull can weigh as much as 1000 kilograms of live weight. Since animals can graze all day in the pasture, they simply do not have time to accumulate fat due to constant movement.
Cows of this breed are distinguished by good performance, their maternal instinct is well developed, they do not need to take part in the hotel, they can cope with this themselves. Soon after giving birth, the cows are able to graze and fertilize again. Slight weight loss in the winter does not affect the health and weight of calves. In the spring, they quickly gain the weight that was lost by grazing.
In winter, sending an animal for slaughter is not profitable, because 40 kilograms of weight is lost, due to the fact that a cow always loses weight during this period. Summer time is the most suitable period for slaughter, since cattle are gaining weight well, as they receive all the necessary substances in the meadow.
The breed presented has several criteria that make them unique. Females are overgrown with fat, eating even the cheapest and lowest quality food, in one season, both males and females are able to gain about 70 kilograms of fat, which serves as heating in the winter.
How to care for and maintain Kalmyk cows?
Cows of this breed do not require constant attention, cattle, even with constant long hauls, gain good weight. A herd of Kalmyk breeds can overcome about 50 kilometers per day, but they need a mandatory six-hour rest.
Care
In the stall where the cattle is located, it should always be light, large windows and equipped stalls. The room must have ventilation. As for the insulation of the barn, this is not required, if the temperature is not lower than -40 degrees, it is enough to make the flooring from straw.
The herd feels good even in 45 degree heat and 40 degree frost, thanks to this, this breed can be bred anywhere in the world. What is needed from the owner of the cows is the constant cleaning of the stall, the constant replacement of water with clean water, and the necessary vaccinations. For fast feeding of Kalmyk cows, feeding should be used, while the bulls gain the necessary mass in five months, and adults in three months.
Disease
Kalmyk cows are resistant to diseases, if the necessary vaccinations are given, then they practically do not get sick. If there are infectious foci, then cattle can become ill with leukemia, leptospirosis or actiminosis. If you do not follow all the rules of hygiene, then cows can get helminth infections.
At the first manifestations of symptoms, it is urgent to seek help from a qualified veterinarian. During the treatment, the sick cow is kept separately, both in the stall and on the walk, so that other animals are not infected.
Feeding
In the summer, cows themselves get food in the meadows, there is no need to give concentrated feed. They can graze on any lawn and there is grass of any softness, the main thing is that it be tall.
Even in winter, animals can themselves get food on a pasture, getting it out of the snow.
Cows must have water, which must be given four times a day. Calves weighing less than 250 kilograms will need 40 liters of water. If the weight is from 250 to 350 kilograms, then 50 liters of water will be required, and if the weight is more, then 60 liters of water per day will be enough. If the air temperature is high, then water needs 20% more.
Although animals can graze all year round, the improved content and addition of feed to the diet will positively affect the gain, especially for:
- grass silage, as well as corn silage;
- haylage;
- vegetables and tubers.
From April to June, it is better to graze in cereal, feather grass or fescue fields. And starting in August, you should give preference to feather grass and wormwood fields. In the grazing season, cows can accumulate about 60 kilograms of fat, used to support vital forces in the winter, when there are not enough natural vitamins.
Calf care
Calves born from Kalmyk cows have good health. Calving happens on its own, in very rare cases, human help is required. The survival rate of young animals is 99 or even 100%, sometimes 96%. Strong immunity allows keeping calves anywhere in the world even with unsanitary conditions.
Body weight at birth is 25 kilograms. The breed is late ripening, they grow a little slower than other meat breeds. From the first days, they graze with their mothers, eating her milk, calves quickly develop and gain one and a half kilograms daily.
Adaptability to new living conditions takes place within a week. The immunity is not too high, so it is important during this period to do the prevention of serious diseases in the form of vaccinations.
After birth, the calves are placed in a separate cage, placed on a straw directly in the barn, where there are no drafts and the air temperature is +13. Colostrum feeding occurs about 5 times a day; on the second day of life, the calf can be given a little warm water from the bottle. Colostrum is produced in the cow for the first 5 days, then regular milk comes in. From 10 days of age, water should be given three times a day, after which they offer hay and succulent feed.
Feeding the young:
Feed | 9-12 months | 13-16 months | 17-20 months |
Bean hay | 1 kg | 1 kg | |
Grass hay | 2.7 kg | 3,5 kg | 4 kg |
Straw | 1 kg | 1 kg | 3 kg |
Corn silage | 8 kg | 10 kg | 14 kg |
Beet | 2 kg | 3 kg | |
Concentrated additives | 2 kg | 2.2 kg | 1,5 kg |
Salt | 45 g | 50 g | 50 g |
Phosphate | 35 g | 45 g | 40 g |
Sulfur | 6 g | 8 g | 5 g |
Read more about feeding calves from birth - read here.
How is the breeding of cows of the Kalmyk breed?
The Kalmyk breed is often crossed with existing breeds and for breeding new breeds of cows, due to their endurance, early maturity, rapid weight gain and excellent taste of meat products.
Today there are two varieties of Kalmyk cattle:
- Early cattle with a small body weight.
- Late ripening, but high body weight, large meat yield.
A cow is ready for breeding in a year and a half and it can give birth to calves from 10 to 15 years. To Kalmyk bulls heifers are allowed only if it has reached a weight of 3 centners. Human help with fertilization and birth of calves is not needed, their pregnancy is easy, the weight of the newborn calf is 22 kilograms.
Cows are excellent mothers; they do not allow anyone to get into their calf, becoming aggressive. Therefore, the calf is left with his mother until he grows up. The survival rate of calves is high, it is 95%, for every 100 cows in the herd there are 90 calves.
When the calf reaches 8 months of age, they cease to be sucked, by this age, due to mother’s milk, they weigh 180-240 kilograms.
Thanks to breeding in private farms, Kalmyk cows may have great prospects for increasing the number of livestock. But for walking, they need to allocate a large area where different grass grows. Since in one place they can graze only a week, after which they should be distilled to another place.
Advantages and disadvantages
Kalmyk cows have many positive aspects:
- high stamina;
- excellent taste of meat products;
- precocity
- quickly fatten;
- hair of moderate density is able to protect the animal from frost;
- simplicity in leaving and the maintenance;
- cows are unpretentious in food;
- high percentage of calf survival;
- high fat milk.
There is only one drawback - they are sometimes very aggressive, especially if a person is trying to get closer to the calf. Another disadvantage is not the presentation of the meat, it is more like the meat of an old cow, but this is actually not so, because it has a unique taste.
Farmers Reviews
Among the farmers of this breed of cows there are only positive aspects of productivity and quality. Cattle can be maintained even by a person who has not encountered this before and has no experience, since they do not require strong care.
Oleg the Great 52 years old. Farmer.What makes the breed unique is that even at the very meager pasture content, cows gain weight well and meat quality does not decrease. The only negative is aggressiveness to a person if he approaches a calf. And Kalmyk cows are very profitable to breed.
Victor Ponomarev is 45 years old.The meat that can be obtained from this breed of cows is very tasty, and these qualities are not lost even during heat treatment. In breeding, care and maintenance they are not whimsical and this has been verified in my many experiments.
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Add your review
It is beneficial to breed Kalmyk breed of cows, because they are not fastidious neither in leaving, nor in feeding. They can also graze on pastures year-round. Not depending on the quality of feeding, the animal is still gaining weight well. The meat of this breed has excellent taste in comparison with other meat breeds.
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