We are all accustomed to the fact that the cow is a representative of cattle.
The maintenance of such an animal is a very troublesome matter, since it needs to provide both a stable and a grazing hut, and a large amount of feed.
But what to do if you want so much fresh, homemade milk, cottage cheese and sour cream!
In fact, the solution is, with it, quite original. Today it is quite possible to purchase a dwarf cow for home keeping.
Keep it much easier, although a very large amount of milk to get from her will not work. Below we describe all the features of these cows and common breeds.
What kind of cows are these dwarfs of greatness?
There is nothing unusual in these cows, except short stature, and, accordingly, weight. They first appeared in India, where the cow is worshiped for religious reasons.
Since the population of this country is very poor, the issue of producing an "economical" cow became very relevant. As a result, dwarf sized cows appeared.
It will not surprise anyone that this type of cow has no meat production, although some are raised for such a purpose. Very often, such a cow is contained due to the decorative features of its exterior and for obtaining a small amount of milk of excellent properties.
Features of appearance and other parameters of representatives
For the first time, dwarf cows were selected about 15 years ago, so today there are only 26 to 30 breeds of this species in the world. A breed will be considered dwarf if it has:
- Maximum growth rates from 90 to 110 centimeters in height.
- Variations in the weight of an adult individual in the range of 100 to 110 kilograms, as well as from 250 to 350 kilograms.
- A small amount of milk, which a cow is able to produce in one day (the maximum figure is 3 liters, although some breeds can boast 7 liters).
Since dwarf breeds were produced by breeders, scientists paid much attention to making new cows as resistant as possible to the influence of the external environment.
Thus, most members of this species boast excellent immunityas well as good adaptability to various climatic conditions of detention.
They are very rarely get sick, and in the case of manifestation of colds, no complications usually arise, all symptoms disappear in just a few days. This fact further simplifies the breeding of dwarf cows.
Due to the excellent characteristics of immunity, dwarf cows are very widely used in the selection of large cows. The gene they transmit serves as protection against a large number of respiratory and viral diseases.
It was also noted that when crossing other breeds of cows with dwarf, they have significantly reduced mortality of young. This can also be explained by the appeasable nature of the little cows, who also have an excellent maternal instinct.
About milk of dwarf cows
The milk of these cows can be without fear attributed to the most important advantages. It is not only very tasty, but also rich in its chemical composition.
If you compare it with the milk of ordinary cows, then first of all you should pay attention to the quantitative ratio of the content of fat droplets and phospholipids.
If in ordinary cow's milk the amount of the first is higher, then in the milk of dwarf cows there is a large amount of phospholipids. This organic matter is incredibly useful for the brain and the entire nervous system, as it plays a huge role in the process of restoring the nerve cells of the human body.
Thus, the milk of dwarf cows is an indispensable dietary product. It is recommended for use in children and people who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system and even those who are obese.
Why dwarf cows are still so poorly distributed in our countries?
The fact is that these cows are very valuable not only in their merits, but also in assessing the value of one individual. And if in one's homeland a calf of one of the most common breeds of “Zebu” can be purchased for less than $ 100, then its cost often reaches several thousand dollars.
However, this factor for many can be just the same incentive for their own business and the breeding of dwarf cows, with a benefit not only for the wallet, but also for the body and soul.
Another reason can be considered non-adaptability of some breeds to living and living in cold climates.
The same "Zebu" or miniature Angus cow is mainly distributed in areas with a subtropical climate. We have to have almost all year round to keep them in a closed artificially heated room without enough green fresh feed.
All of these factors can lead to weight loss and lower milk volumes. Therefore, before buying a dwarf breed, ask how well it is adapted to the climate conditions of the territories in which you live.
Almost the only option for the territory of the CIS countries may be a mini-cow breed Highland. However, it refers exclusively to the meat species of cows, to get milk from it is almost impossible task. But at the same time, it has a number of its own advantages:
- Extensive type of cultivation, which does not imply absolutely no cost for feed and other necessary aspects of care.
- In the food they are not whimsical at all, they can eat almost any plants and shrubs.
Also, their feed intake is even lower than that of sheep.
- The breed has no need to build special barns for their maintenance.
The endurance of their body and a thick layer of thick hair allows them to endure the most severe weather conditions without any problems. Outdoors, these cows are kept throughout the year.
- Very well reproduced by themselves.
Calving is very easy, cows have a very good maternal instinct, due to which mortality among the young is practically not observed.
- They are characterized by a very good immunity; they have not experienced any diseases that are usual for ordinary cows.
Description of dwarf breed of cows "Zebu"
The usual habitat of existence for “Zebu” is considered to be the island of Sri Lanka, but today they manage to successfully breed them in our open spaces.
For many years, the breed was considered practically extinct, since breeders and ordinary livestock breeders tried to cross it with larger cows in order to achieve higher yields.
But today the breed is already divorced separately, which allows it to preserve its uniqueness and protect it from final extinction. The number of individuals of this breed is only growing.
Exterior breed and its features
Even in adult puberty, Zebu dwarf cows look more like small calves than large animals.
The maximum growth rates of their bodies are 91 centimeters, that is, with their height they do not even reach the height of the navel of a person.
The usual weight for this dwarf breed can also be very surprising, since on average it is only 80 kilograms.
In terms of their color, zebu cows can be either light milk or brown. The most common one-color suit, without inclusions and russovoe, characteristic of Russian cows.
The coat is relatively long, due to the need for protection against insects in hot conditions in India. The build they have a pretty strong, although the legs may seem very thin.
The main advantages of keeping and breeding cows "Zebu"
Feeding a dwarf cow is the simplest thing that can be. For a full life it will be enough ration consisting of one hay and water. Of course, that additional feed will also positively affect the growth and quantity of milk, but still not as much as when feeding ordinary cows.
In the warm season, "Zebu" can be easily maintained in open space, providing an opportunity to independently get food. At the same time, a very big advantage and peculiarity of these cows is the presence of a hump on them with accumulated fatty tissues on the back of their humps.
In normal times, this fat is not used at all, but only accumulates, but during the forced fasting does not allow the animal to die.
It is also interesting to read about feeding dairy cows.
Does the breed have flaws?
The disadvantages of this breed can only be the disadvantages of the very type of dwarf cows. That is, we can talk only about an insufficiently large amount of milk and the inability of animals to realize meat productivity.
In all other respects, these are rather calm, friendly animals that require a minimum of attention and feed. As for the care, the only concern of the livestock breeder can be milking the cow and combing her wool.
Other features that are important to share with future breeders
The calm temper of the cows "Zebu" allows you to easily keep them both on a leash and free grazing.
They will not compete for space with other animals, will not break fences, or cause any other harm.
After this breed is grazed on the pasture, only a beautiful and leveled lawn will remain, immediately fertilized by the cows themselves.
The cost of feed for "Zebu" will be minimal, and in the summer there will not be a penny at all.
So this breed of dwarf cows refers to the animals of the extensive type of cultivationwhen for the sake of obtaining products no means are spent (well, or minimal ones are spent).
Breed productivity: what quantities of milk can you expect?
Calling this little cow a productive is difficult because milk it gives a very small amount. On average, daily milk allowance is about 3 liters. If you do not contain pure "Zebu", and her cross, then this figure may increase significantly.
However, productivity can also include the ability of these cows to bring their own offspring. In this regard, they quite prolificA small calf can appear on your farm every year. At the same time, the ability to calve remains in dwarf cows for quite a long time, up to about 10 years.
Angus dwarf cows and the advantages of their content
Although this breed belongs to the dwarf, however, the size and weight has more of those that we described above. She divorced mainly in Australia, which is her homeland.
Angus cows more accustomed to warm climatic conditionstherefore, when breeding this breed in a midland climate, during the cold season, the animals will definitely need special heated sheds with enough space for movement.
There are also large Angus cows, whose weight is twice the weight of those we describe. There are many similarities between these two species of the same breed, especially in coat color.
However, dwarfs have a significant advantage in the flexible nature and economy of the content, although they are significantly inferior in performance.
What are the distinctive features of the appearance of the breed?
The color of these beautiful little cows is most often black, as well as their large counterparts. The skin of Angus cows from birth is covered with a rather abundant, but not hard, coat.
Their legs are rather short, as a result of which, on their background, the body seems very thick and wide. The body is short and not tall, the growth of an adult individual usually barely exceeds 1 meter.
Advantages of keeping Angus cows
A huge plus for the maintenance of cows of this breed is that their meat productivity significantly exceeds the same performance of ordinary cows.
This is due to the fact that dwarf cows don't require a lot of feed and the space for grazing can be very limited.
For example, in order for a herd of 10 Angus cows to reach a mass of 300 kilograms normal for them in a short period of time, they will have enough grazing area of 2 hectares.
If, however, we are engaged in breeding ordinary beef breeds of cows, then this space is hardly enough to feed two individuals. As a result, in the first case, at the exit we will be able to get about 3 thousand excellent meat of dwarf cows, or 1 thousand meat of ordinary cows.
The big advantage of keeping Angus cows is that they practically do not harm the environment. It is not at all typical for them to gnaw leaves from tree branches, leaving them fruitless, or to gnaw tasty grass from the ground directly from the root.
The meadows on which they graze are not trampled, but remain green like specially trimmed lawns.
What are the drawbacks of the breed or what difficulties does its maintenance promise?
The ideal content of Angus miniature cows is their grazing in open space. It is clear that for this you need to have your own farm, or at least a rather large garden plot, on which these cows could be tied.
In the winter period, however, cows will also need to add a certain amount of fresh plant food to their diet, since hay cannot fill all the deficiencies necessary for animals with microelements to replenish vitality.
Boundaries of Angus breed performance
Unlike other dwarf breeds of cows, this breed is able to please quite good performance. The most important thing is that the benefit from it can be obtained not only in the form of milk, but also of meat.
The fact is that the mass of adult Angus cows is capable of reaching 250-350 kilograms (the weight of bulls is usually more than the weight of cows).
In connection with such an impressive size and the amount of milk produced is also significantly increased, in some individuals it reaches a figure of 10 liters per day.
