Swiss calves. Characteristics of the Swiss breed of cows. Swedish Holsteins - the benchmark for dairy cattle

In dairy and meat farms, the cow of the Swiss breed is very popular. Inexperienced cattle breeders starting to breed cattle prefer this species for its precocity, fertility and productivity. Swiss cows are famous for their longevity, and in adulthood they give a good milk yield, and their meat remains tender. Interest in animals is also great because they are distinguished by excellent health - this simplifies the care of the herd.

The history of the Swiss breed

The Brown Swiss breed of cows got its name in the 14th century by analogy with the name of the town that became its homeland. The canton of Schwyz is located in central Switzerland. It was there that the breed first appeared, which subsequently spread throughout the world. Having gained popularity, Swiss cows began to be used to breed new breeds in other countries.

With her participation, the Russian Kostroma, Kazakh Alaut, Ukrainian Lebedin and Caucasian appeared. New types of animals received the properties of the Swiss breed, but adapted to the conditions of the local climate.

The scientists who created the Swiss tried to achieve high milk and meat productivity and the possibility of using animals for household needs. To do this, they took short-legged cattle, which were distinguished by high endurance. Today, Swiss cows are not used on the farm, but their endurance has become the basis of good immunity, which distinguishes the breed from other representatives of cattle.

The prevalence of Swiss in Russia

In Russia, the Swiss breed of cows was recognized at the end of the 19th century. Only wealthy landowners could afford to breed animals, since the maintenance of cows and bulls required large investments. This luxury was not available to ordinary peasants.

Animals are grown in 10 regions of the country, which is dictated by natural and climatic conditions. Together, cows and bulls of this type make up 2.5% of the total mass of cattle raised in Russia.

It is recognized that the breed is considered the best in terms of meat and milk characteristics. Farmers who rely on both milk production and meat production purchase these animals for breeding. You can buy cows of this breed at a price of about $ 1,000 per head.

Distinctive features of the breed

A general description of animals of this species begins with the fact that all individuals differ in the proportionality of the body. Outwardly, the Swiss breed can be distinguished by the following features:

• powerful bone skeleton;
• large size of the body;
• average height;
• correct limbs;
• elastic skin;
• brown color.

It is important for breeders to know that some animal parameters depend on the breed variety. There are three of them: meat-and-milk - differs in smaller dimensions and a poorly developed udder, milk-meat - the most harmonious of the tribesmen and dairy - is distinguished by a stretched body and less developed muscles.

Breed productivity in facts

One Swiss cow produces up to 3.5 tons of milk per year, the fat content of which reaches 4%. Often, various types of cheeses are produced from the milk of these cows. In large farms, record holders show milk yields of up to 10 tons per year.

Now with regards to young bulls. At birth, their weight is approximately 40 kg. Following the recommendations, conditions of feeding and keeping, by one year they will reach 250 kg, and after another 6 months of life their weight will increase to 370 kg. Adult cows reach a weight of 500-800 kg, while bulls grow up to 800-1100 kg.

Proper feeding of young animals allows you to increase the weight of the animal by 1000 g per day. Cattle grow quite well-fed, and at slaughter, the net weight of meat is 60% of the total carcass weight.

Advantages of schwitz

Any cattle raised today has pros and cons. The Swiss breed of cows, first of all, is famous for its high milk production and meat productivity. In addition, the following advantages of cattle should be highlighted:

• excellent immunity;
• fast maturation;
• development of reproductive function;
• melancholy character;
• a high degree of adaptability;
• good endurance;
• the quality of the resulting products.

Breeding farmers need to be aware that work to improve the species is ongoing. This suggests that Swiss farms should periodically purchase new livestock.

View Disadvantages

Since cows of the Swiss breed are still at the stage of improvement, scientists are working to eliminate some of the shortcomings of animals. One of them is high pickiness in food. A lot of money is spent on feeding this type of livestock.

The biggest negative characteristic The Swiss breed of cows lies in the low rate of milk yield, which greatly delays the milking process. In a minute, heifers can be milked about 1300 g, which is significantly lower than the milking rate of other dairy breeds.

Another fly in the ointment is that a certain proportion of cows of this type are not suitable for machine milking. This is due to the incorrect structure of the udder of the animal. Breeders are working on these shortcomings. As for the bulls of this breed, work with them has practically ceased.

Nuances of feeding and maintenance

During the summer, the animals graze on the pastures, where special varieties of herbs are grown for them: peas, clover, vetch and alfalfa. In winter, they are fed with hay made from the same herbs, but silage, vegetables and bran are added to the diet. Cattle of this breed must be carefully monitored. Especially for a diet in which it is recommended to add an oatmeal-bran mixture.

Swiss calves are especially whimsical in the first weeks after birth. They must be constantly monitored, and the introduction of new feeds should be made gradually.

Feeding newborn calves can be difficult due to poor milk production in heifers, so the feeding process must be strictly controlled.

Breeding Secrets

After calving, Swiss cows are greatly weakened, as a result of which careful supervision is necessary for them. Their diet must include a mixture of oats with bran, which is given to heifers up to 10 times a day. In the first days after calving, it is recommended to milk cows 5-6 times a day.

Individuals of this breed are bred in several ways. The first is a group or standard breeding option. The second technique is the individual assignment of a cow to a specific bull. In individual breeding, the characteristics of animals are taken into account in order to obtain offspring with certain qualities.

Swiss cows are one of the oldest dairy and meat breeds in Russia, but it began to be popularized relatively recently, and the workers of young farms still have questions about caring for animals.

In the article, we tried to collect complete information about these animals, we hope that it was useful to you. Like and share with your friends if you found answers to your questions with our help.

Many farmers and livestock breeders would like to breed versatile animals that provide both meat and milk in large quantities. Such individuals include the Schwyz breed of cows. Bulls and cows are also unpretentious and hardy.

A thoroughbred cow descended from short-legged peat-bog animals from the Swiss lands. Swiss cattle adapt remarkably to different weather conditions. Through the many years of work of breeders, the most hardy individuals are now grown in the world.

Italy, Austria and Germany were among the first to breed the Swiss cow. Further, the breed spread almost all over the world, becoming especially popular in Europe and America.

Under the influence of different climatic features, Schwyz animals acquired different colors and productive qualities. For example, small cows and bulls are bred in Austrian and German livestock farms. The Italians are trying to improve the meat performance of the breed. Dairy products are used to produce hard cheese.

The first Russians to have the Brown Swiss cow breed were nineteenth-century landowners. The peasants of that time could not properly feed and care for the overseas breed of livestock due to their limited resources. Later, in the twenties of the 20th century, Schwyz animals were raised in some Soviet state farms. The current number of Schwyz cattle in 9 regions of the Russian Federation is approximately two and a half percent of the total component of cattle in the country.

Cows are also famous for having good immunity, which allows them to get a lot of high-quality products from them, not to spend money on treatment, as well as precocity.

There are several varieties of Swiss cattle: meat and dairy cattle are distinguished by their compact dimensions and not too developed udder; dairy meat is considered the most harmonious representative of the breed; dairy characterizes a stretched body and not too developed muscles.

Appearance

The brown suit of the Swiss cows has different shades. In general, the breed is characterized by a powerful bone frame, overall torso, limbs of regular shape. The width of the withers in cows is medium. The skin is elastic.

Bulls of the breed can grow up to 150 cm in height along with the withers. Their body can stretch up to two meters long. The back and neck of bulls are muscular.

Representatives of Schwyz cattle usually have a wide forehead, but a small head. The nose is covered with lead-colored wool. The back of the cow is distinguished by lighter hair than the sides and abdomen. Schwyz bulls have a darker head and body in front than cows.

Animals are characterized by a proportional shape, but there are differences between representatives of the subspecies of the breed. Representatives related to the meat direction have the most developed muscles than other subspecies of the Schwyz breed. In dairy representatives, the body is angular, the muscles are weaker.

In the regions of Russia, meat dairy Schvitsky animals are preferable. Representatives are distinguished by horns, the tips of which are dark in color. The neck is strong and short. The girth of the cow's chest is 187 centimeters, width 44, depth 70 centimeters. Meat dairy thoroughbred cows do not have a dewlap. Well-set strong long legs have black hooves of impressive width.

Productivity

About 3 and a half tons of milk is obtained from one Swiss cow, its fat content reaches 4 percent. In industry, tasty cheeses, sour cream, curd products, yogurt and other dairy products are obtained from milk. At home, you can make saturated butter, healing yogurt and more. Protein in milk occupies 3.2 or 3.6 percent of the composition.

Some farms can boast of a milk yield of 10 tons per year. Bulls are raised well-fed. When they are slaughtered, the yield of pure meat equates to 50 or 60 percent.

Tip: With the right diet, you can increase the weight gain of Schwyz bulls up to a thousand grams per day.

The weight

Swiss cows bring a large calving, the weight of newborn calves can be from 32 to 42 kilograms. The young are growing fast. One-year-old heifers and bulls weigh about 300 kilos. Six months later, they gain another 50 or 70 kg.

Tip: The daily weight gain of a Swiss cow calf is within 800 grams or 1 kilo. In order for the animals to have a lot of weight, you need to keep them in optimal conditions and be guided by all the rules of experienced cattle breeders.

An adult thoroughbred cow weighs about 550 kilos. The mass of record holders reaches 800 kilos. Producer bulls weigh around 950 kilograms. But there are representatives with a mass of 1100 kilos.

Care

Raising Swiss bulls and heifers can be done using two technologies. It is better to use the stall if young animals are present in large numbers on the farm. Throughout the year, the stall should abound in fodder stocks.

Tip: In winter, it is best to feed animals with silage, bran and beetroot; in summer, bran and fresh grass feed are needed.

The pasture stall method is most suitable for adults. In summer, livestock grazes in the meadows, consumes more pasture. Its advantage is that juicy grass is provided for cows indefinitely, which affects the quality of milk and meat. When the cold comes, the animals are kept in a stall.

The diet of Schwyz bulls and cows must include grass and vegetables, cows love potatoes and beets. Alfalfa and clover should be avoided.

Tip: Normally, Schwyz should receive from 4,500 to 6,000 kilocalories per day. To get a liter of milk from a cow, it is necessary for the nurse to receive at least 712 kilocalories per day.

The method of breeding livestock can be both group and individual. Usually they try to add a cow to the bull. The selection of individuals is carried out based on the characteristics and features. Heifers are selected from one and a half years. A cow with a calf is kept together for 7 days, then resettlement is necessary.

Young Schwyz animals need to be looked after with special scrupulousness. Every day they are supposed to be given an oatmeal vitamin mixture, it helps to strengthen the immune system. New foods should be introduced gradually.

When a cow has calved, she becomes weaker, it is necessary to treat her in the postpartum period more sparingly and reverently, constantly monitor her behavior and condition. Oats and bran should be present in the diet of a cow who has given birth, heifers should be treated with a mixture of about 10 times a day. The first few days after childbirth, it is necessary to carry out milking from a cow 5 or 6 times during the day and evening.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of Schwyz cows and bulls include endurance and calm character, the speed of growth of the muscle mass of heifers and bulls. Also, representatives of the breed are distinguished by excellent health, high body resistance to infections, which cattle are often susceptible to. Bulls have a developed reproductive system. Calving of cows occurs annually, it happens that they bring 2 babies at once. Any climatic conditions are suitable for animals.

General purpose cattle breeds are known for producing moderate milk yields and having medium early maturation, inferior in both respects to dairy and beef breeds, respectively. However, the Swiss breed is unique in that it has intrabreed types specialized for dairy and meat purposes. Therefore, Shvits manage to keep up both there and there.

The Brown Swiss cow is one of the oldest cattle breeds currently cultivated. It was bred about 700 years ago in the mountainous region of Switzerland, today known as the canton of Schwitz (hence the name of the breed). When creating a Swiss cow, short-horned cattle were used, long before that brought to Europe from Asia, which were crossed with local outbred livestock.

The main goal of the then breeders was to create a breed that is as hardy as possible and resistant to the difficult natural and climatic conditions of the Swiss high mountain pastures. At the same time, great importance was also given to good productivity indicators, which was achieved not only by selection, but also by creating special conditions keeping and feeding animals.

Interestingly, at the first stage of the formation of the breed, livestock breeders, among other things, sought to increase the endurance of animals, including in order to use these livestock in agricultural work. But when the need to involve cattle in the fields disappeared, breeders focused entirely on improving the meat and milk productivity of cows.

After the Schwyz developed into a stable breed, they began to be bred outside of Switzerland, primarily in neighboring Italy, Austria and Germany. By the beginning of the 19th century, the breed was already quite well known and enjoyed considerable respect in Europe, so they began to import it to the New World and especially to the USA.

The Swiss dairy breed of cows came to Russia in the second half of the 19th century. However, purebred shvits did not gain much popularity in our country then because of the high requirements for the conditions of detention and the order of feeding. However, Swiss cattle were involved in the formation / improvement of such breeds as Kostroma, Brown Carpathian, Caucasian Brown, etc.

Since the breed has spread far beyond its historical homeland for a long time, in each country where it has been bred for a long time, its own subtype of the Swiss cow has formed. Often such national subtypes are very different from those cows that are still bred in the canton of Schwitz.

For example, in Austria and Germany, representatives of this breed are noticeably smaller (which is typical for dairy cows), while in Italy and France, breeders, on the contrary, worked to increase the live weight and meat productivity of these cattle. As for Russia, we breed Swiss wagons with a slight bias in dairy production.

External characteristics of the Swiss breed of cows

Currently, experts distinguish three main intrabreed types, each of which has some features in the exterior and productivity indicators:

• milk and meat;
• meat and dairy;
• lactic.

Cows of the first type (these are the ones that are mainly bred in Russia) have a classic proportional physique. Meat- dairy cattle the body is compact, and the udder is rather poorly developed. Finally, dairy cows are distinguished by a long, elongated body with a well-developed udder and moderately developed musculature. It is this versatility, achieved through the presence of three intra-breed types, that this breed is famous for, capable of providing the farmer with both types of high-quality products.

In general, cows of the Swiss breed have harmonious forms and a proportional body. Animals are quite large, with a strong constitution. The length of the body is on average about 167 cm, and the height at the withers is 133 cm. The girth of the chest does not exceed 190 cm.

Shvits have thin, but dense and rather elastic skin, covered with short thick hair. A characteristic feature of the breed is a dark suit, represented by different shades of gray-brown. The nose is also always a dark lead shade. Another feature of the cattle of this breed is the dark, as if burnt, ends of the horns.

According to livestock breeders, Swiss cows are distinguished by a calm, obedient disposition.

Swiss cow productivity

Average milk yields are not impressive: only about 3-3.5 thousand liters of milk per year. However, milk is characterized by high fat content, which ranges from 3.6-3.8%. With strict adherence to all the rules of keeping and feeding, as well as the use of the most productive queens, more significant indicators can be achieved: at the level of 5 thousand liters of milk with a fat content of up to 4%. However, the record milk yield for this breed is about 9-10 tons of milk per year. Given the high fat content of the products obtained, these cows are excellent for farms focused on the production of butter and hard cheeses.

The meat characteristics of the Swiss cow can also hardly be called outstanding, but within meat breed they fit in perfectly. Under the recommended conditions of keeping, the young growth grows quite intensively, gaining 0.7-0.8 kg of weight per day, and by the end of the first year of life reaches a weight of 250-300 kg. One and a half year old teenagers already weigh 350-370 kg. The maximum weight of adult dairy cows is 5-5.5 centners, bulls - 8-9 centners. Slaughter yield averages about 59%.

For all its endurance and versatility, the Swiss breed of cows is known for its whimsicalness to the conditions of detention and diet. Any deviations from the established recommendations greatly reduce the already fairly average milk production, and also affect the meat characteristics.

The basis of the diet of cattle of this breed should be dry hay, silage, bran and fresh vegetables. In summer, animals must be released for free grazing, preferably on specially prepared meadows with pre-planted perennials of the most preferred species. To increase milk productivity and milk quality, it is very important that the feed contains peas, clover, vetch and alfalfa.

It is believed that the stall-pasture method is more preferable for the Swiss breed, since free-range cows produce better milk. However, some farmers practice year-round stabling. In this case, in the summer, animals must certainly be fed, in addition to compound feed, with fresh herbs. This method is more suitable for farms specializing in meat and dairy or pure meat.

Newborn calves and newly calving cows need increased attention. The composition of their diet should certainly include an oatmeal-bran mixture, which will allow the cow to quickly gain strength and recover after childbirth.

For the main herd, the following diet is recommended: in the morning - water, hay and feed, in the afternoon - water and hay, in the evening again feed and hay with water. Also, every day, animals need to be given a certain amount of green succulent feed - vegetables, grass, silage, etc.

As with all general purpose meat and dairy cows, the Swiss breed of cows does not have an excellent performance in either milk or meat. However, cows provide both in sufficient quantities to provide livestock farming with quality products of both types. Specialized breeds can produce only one thing in sufficient volume.

If we talk about the merits of Swiss cows, then the most important of them are:

The complex of not extraordinary, but quite satisfactory positive qualities made the Swiss breed of cows quite common in Europe and North America. However, she still does not enjoy great popularity. And this is due to its shortcomings, which should also be mentioned:

1. Pickiness in feed. Although, at first glance, the composition of the diet does not look overly complicated, it is highly recommended not to deviate from these recommendations. Any failure in feeding will immediately affect the milk production of animals.
2. Low milk supply. Swiss cows have a rather rare drawback - they give milk very slowly (on average, about 1.1-1.3 liters per minute). Because of this, it is difficult or almost impossible to automate the milking process, since most machines are designed for higher rates.

Prospects for breeding in Russia

On the territory of our country, the Swiss meat dairy breed of cows has about a thousand heads, which is quite a bit, given the total number of cattle in the Russian Federation (about 19 million). Thus, we can safely say that Swiss cows are not very popular in Russia. This is due to the fact that for large-scale livestock complexes, the breed has insufficient productivity, and for small farmers and private households, the Swiss are too difficult to care for and feed.

On the other hand, one cannot fail to note the excellent adaptability of these cows to any natural and climatic conditions. Considering that in our country there are both very hot dry and cold humid regions, Swiss will feel equally good both there and there. In addition, do not forget about the mountain pastures for which this breed was originally prepared. Where all other breeds cannot show themselves properly, Swiss cows give quite decent results.

Let's dwell briefly on each of them.

Swedish Holsteins - the benchmark for dairy cattle

They give half of Sweden's milk and are rightfully considered the pride of any farming in the world. The breed is distinguished by its black-and-white color, calm and peaceful character.

Milk indicators are excellent: fat - 4.08%, and protein - 3.3%. This is slightly less than the cows of the Red-and-White breed, but the Holstein cows have much higher milk yields.

They can produce up to 9800 liters per year.

red-and-white breed

The breed is common not only in Sweden, but also in countries with similar natural and climatic conditions. During the year, cows give up to 8700 liters of milk containing a whole complex of vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

Features of cows:

• healthy, proportional udder;
• calving is always quick and easy, the risk of a stillborn baby is 0%;
• strong, stable legs;
• animals are distinguished by high endurance and good health.

Simmental breed

They are easily distinguished externally by their white coat with brown spots. These are typical representatives of a heavy meat - dairy breed, characterized by a calm character, unpretentiousness in care and high milk yield. The first batches, brought from Austria and Switzerland in the 70s, quickly acclimatized, and soon the breed became popular.

They have a strong constitution, good muscle mass, so the meat yield is 60%. They give up to 3500 kg of milk per year, the fat content of which is up to 3.8-3.9%. The breed has high speed fattening and tender, elite meat. Animals quickly digest feed, they are characterized by easy calving and a good increase in muscle mass.

The Hereford is one of the oldest dairy breeds in the world.

The birthplace of cattle is a small county of the same name in England. Once in Sweden in the fifties, they quickly gained recognition and became popular among farmers.

They are easy to distinguish by their red-brown color with a white head and belly. Popular because of fertility, and endurance, unpretentious for wintering.

In Sweden, they make up half of the total livestock, and are considered the most popular in the world.

All cows are equally productive and for this reason are considered a good source of income.

Peculiarities of raising cows in Sweden

Sweden has long been famous for its cows, or more precisely, their milk yield.

For many years, joint painstaking work of farmers, breeders and representatives of other organizations and structures has been carried out. Swedish the legislative framework allowed to tighten the rules for breeding and keeping cows, as a result of this, today they have:

• cows with the most stable immunity;
• thanks to the excellent conditions of keeping, their animals are peaceful and calm;
• cows are high-yielding, with good indicators of the quantity and quality of milk.