MONTBELIARD BREED OF COWS: DESCRIPTION, PHOTO, CARE AND MAINTENANCE

Modern breeds of cattle make it possible to obtain high-quality products for a long time, and also are characterized by high resistance to various adverse factors. One of the leading in this regard is considered to be the breed of monbelyard cows. In this article we will take a closer look at what the monbellyards are, and also how to create the optimal conditions for an animal to grow successfully, develop and produce well.

History of origin

Purposeful animal breeding began in the 18th century in Switzerland and France. Local pastoralists set themselves a goal to bring a new breed, characterized by endurance, unpretentiousness and increased productivity. To do this, breeders crossed Swiss outbred cows with Alzani, motley and Sharolese breed. Breeding work lasted for a century, after which in 1889 at the World Exhibition (France) the official recognition of the Montbeliards took place.

Did you know? The breed has the most elegant look among the relatives, which is why monbellyards annually become participants in hundreds of advertising videos about milk.

Today, these cows are considered among the most advanced in the world. The predominant number of individuals focused on the home artiodactyl, in France. In addition, the high productivity of this cow contributed to its spread throughout the world everywhere, so the herds of monbellyards can be found in large quantities in America, Africa and Europe.

Description and distinctive features of the breed

Like any other species, monbeliards have characteristic features and recognizable appearance. As a result, even an unprepared breeder can easily identify this animal among thousands of others. In addition to excellent performance, this cow has a rather impressive size, as well as a characteristic appearance.

Did you know? For the past several decades, the bulls of the Montbeliard breed have been actively used for crossing with outbred individuals: this helps to increase the productivity of the future herd at minimal cost.

Appearance and physique

Montbeliards are distinguished by the following external features:

head - large, with a slight expansion in the area of the orbits;
muzzle - large, but symmetrical, has the typical outlines of the European line of cows;

sides - deep;
neck - powerful, medium length;
chest - deep, for bulls characterized by a powerful, wide and well-developed bib;
chest depth - 70-78 cm;
body outline - smooth and elegant, which creates an animal good-natured and calm appearance (straight back, tight shoulder blades, dense and massive legs);

croup - located under a slight bias, while the spine does not protrude;
height at withers - within 140-150 cm, males are always slightly larger than females;
body length - 160-165 cm;
body mass - in bulls 800-1200 kg, in cows on average about 600-800 kg;

udder - cup-shaped, the base of the udder is horizontal, in the middle of each quarter are located nipples directed inward. There are numerous veins on the udder;
udder location - above the ham, in the back the udder is higher than in the front;
tail - middle length;
wool - short, soft, but dense;

suit - red-motley, the cow can be distinguished by the white color of the lower part of the body, as well as bright purple spots in the back area. The head is white in color, and there are characteristic purple spots on the cheeks.

Important! A distinctive feature of monbeliards is the bright mucous membranes of pink or cream tones, as well as a white tail with a fluffy white tassel.

Meat and Dairy Indicators

Montbeliards are distinguished by high-quality animal products, regardless of the conditions of detention and the period of the year.

The main value of the animal is excellent milk. It is suitable for any purpose and culinary needs, which makes it possible to create high-quality lactic acid products from it, as well as to use for preparing other dishes (milkshakes, condensed milk, etc.). Also, the high content of protein in milk and low fat content makes it the best raw material for the industrial production of milk powder. The main production indicators of a cow when dairy growing:

productivity is high;
lactation period - 300-305 days per year;
average annual milk yield - 7800-8500 liters;
milk fat content - 3.5-4%;
the amount of protein is about 3.5%;
the taste of milk is gentle and pleasant;
the color of the milk is white, but sometimes a slight creamy tint may be observed.

Learn more about cow's milk: density, fat content, composition, benefits and harms, processing methods and types.

The monbeliard cow competes well in the meat market: its meat is notable for its tenderness, as well as its unique taste. That is why such meat is often served as the main decoration of the table in many fine restaurants.

The main production indicators of cows for meat growing:

the rate of weight gain is high;
increase in live weight per day - 1.2-1.4 kg (depending on nutrition);
slaughter carcass output - about 54% for cows, about 58% for bulls;
the highest grade of meat;
the color of the meat is uniform, saturated, in young individuals it is often pink-red, in mature red-scarlet;
the smell of fresh meat - rich, meat, with a light aroma of milk;
fat layers in meat are few, practically absent.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantages of the breed:

fairly high productivity;
low percentage of fat in products;
high quality meat and milk;
unpretentiousness.

The main disadvantages of the breed:

low yield of meat products;
the need for high quality feed;
low resistance to seasonal diseases and infectious lesions;
increased demands on living conditions (rather than in purebred cows).

Did you know? Montbeliard is one of the few breeds whose milk is used to make exquisite cheeses that have the name of the place where they are made. The most popular of them is Emmental cheese, produced in the valley of the Emme River (Switzerland).

Care and feeding ration

Like any other farm animal, this cow requires a certain attention. To get a healthy and productive animal, it is necessary to create suitable living conditions for the monbeliards, as well as a diet.

Room Requirements

Often, monbeliards are unpretentious to the conditions of detention, so these animals can be safely kept either loosely or in individual compartments. However, the building must necessarily be comfortable for both the animal and the staff.

Basic requirements for the room:

The height must be at least 2.5 m;
inside the shed should be a clear distinction of space for the feeder, stall and territory for stool;
a large attic must be provided in the roof (to save heat in the winter season);
the window area should not be less than 10% of the total floor area, otherwise the lack of lighting can cause a variety of pathologies;
the slope of the floor on one running meter should not exceed 2 cm;
the floor must be flat and made of reinforced concrete materials - this will simplify the cleaning of the barn from the manure.

Learn how to build a barn for cows with your own hands, as well as how to make a stall in the barn.

Most often cows are kept in a stall., its size must exactly coincide with the size of the animal itself - only in this case it will receive the necessary comfort and the sanitary conditions for keeping will be met. The height of the structure should be 10-15 cm taller than the height of the animal, and the length, on the contrary, is 5-15 cm shorter, while the width of the stall should be within 1 meter. Thus, the barrier should provide at least 2-2.2 square meters. m of free space. Behind the stall equip the feces chute to divert manure from the room. Feeders and drinkers are installed near each stall. They should be made of durable materials that can be easily disinfected (solid wood, reinforced concrete, brick, metal). The width of the feeder should be about 60 cm, length - not less than 70 cm. The height of the rear side should be at least 60 cm, and facing the cow - about 30 cm. Such structures are often mounted on the floor or at a small height above the floor 30 cm). Drinking bowls settle near the trough, the most acceptable are individual metal tanks with a volume of at least 30-40 liters. Install them over the front edge of the feeder, at a height of about 50 cm from the floor.

Important! On the front side of the trough, there should be a round neck about 10 cm deep. This will help avoid injury to the cow’s neck during the meal.

To ensure optimal sanitary conditions inside the barn should always provide flooring. Often for these purposes hay from field grasses is used. Such material should be harvested exclusively in environmentally friendly regions in order to avoid harm to the body of animals. In the case of loose housing, the flooring is provided only at the place of lodging for the night, while keeping the livestock on the deep bedding covers all the free space with hay. The thickness of this layer, regardless of the type of livestock breeding, should not be less than 10-15 cm. Do not forget about the needs of this breed in the appropriate microclimate. The cow needs warm, well-lit and ventilated rooms. Montbeliards do not tolerate long-lasting frosts, the most suitable temperature regime in the summer is considered to be + 20-25 ° С, in winter - not lower than + 10 ° С. To do this, it is necessary to provide additional warming of the barn, and, if possible, the heating system.

Cows do not tolerate excessive moisture, so moisture in the barn should be maintained within 40-70%. Adjust the indicator with the help of ventilation holes or automatic ventilation system. At the same time, drafts for monbellyards are contraindicated, since an instantaneous decrease in temperature can cause protracted colds in animals. Ventilation should be carried out by circulation or by using exhaust systems.

Learn more about cattle: interesting facts, biological features, anatomy, the basics of breeding in the private sector.

Cleaning the barn

Cleaning in the barn is carried out daily, morning and evening, with loose housing, cleaning is carried out 3 times a day. However, if the maintenance of cows is carried out using the deep litter technique, the multiplicity of cleaning is reduced. In this case, the manure is harvested no more than 1 time per month. For these purposes, garden forks or special manure scrapers are used. The manure is retracted into the pre-equipped canals, from which further it is brought out. But if they are not provided, the faeces are transported on carts or conveyors. I put fresh bedding in the barn daily, in the morning or in the evening, but, if necessary, increase the number of substitutes. Drinkers and feeders are also cleaned daily, before each new filling. To do this, remove any residues or contaminants from them, then thoroughly wash them with clean water. At the same time use sponges, brushes and other hygienic devices for animals. Once a month, general harvesting of the stable and its contents is carried out.: for this, all the internal space, including feeders and drinkers, is thoroughly cleaned with soapy water.

Periodically, the barn and requires disinfection, it is carried out:

on schedule, 1 time in 8-10 weeks;
before transfer to the barn of young calves;
before the start of the stall period;
a few days before calving.

The procedure is carried out after the general cleaning of the whole barn. For this, walls, floor, feeders, drinkers and other interior parts are treated with disinfectant solutions. Often for these purposes use 4% caustic soda, 2% formaldehyde solution, and 3% chlorine-containing liquids. In this case, the flow rate of the working fluid should be at least 0.5 l / sq. After the treatment, the room is kept for 3 hours, and then all disinfected objects are thoroughly washed with clean water.

Important! When using disinfecting agents based on formaldehyde, it is recommended to additionally clean the premises from the remnants of the compounds half-life of the substance. For these purposes, use a 25% ammonia solution in a volume equal to the initial amount of the disinfectant used.

Feeding and watering

Montbeliards require a special diet: it must contain a whole range of all sorts of nutrients that provide both rapid muscle growth and safe and long-lasting lactation. In addition, such food should be in an easily digestible form - only in this case, it will be possible to achieve uniform and high-quality production of livestock products. Schematically, the healthy diet of a cow can be divided into the following types of feed:

succulent - green grass and plant debris, silage, root crops;
rough - hay, straw, chaff;
concentrated - waste food production, grain;
combined - feed and other products of industrial origin;
animals - waste and by-products of meat and dairy industry.

We advise you to read about grazing cows in the pasture and winter diet for cows.

In most cases, cows are fed in relation to the production direction of animals - for this purpose, two types of diet are distinguished:

milk direction - the basis of such a diet is coarse and juicy food, not less than 60% of the total mass. Concentrated and combined feeds are used as a source of proteins in this diet, their share should be about 30%. Additionally, cows are fed with animal feed, its amount should not exceed 10% of the total mass;
meat direction - as the main food for beef cows are used concentrated feed, their number should not be less than 50% of the entire diet. Juicy and coarse feed in such a diet should be no more than 20-30%, and the number of combined - at least 15%. Animal products in this diet often do not exceed 5-10% of the total mass of feed.

Feed the cows at least 3 times a day. The main food is used daily, additional feed is introduced into the diet 1-2 times a day, and animal products are used as an additional feeding no more than 1-2 times a week. To improve the digestibility of food and to facilitate feeding, various mash beans are prepared: in this case, all products are ground to a uniform state.

To ensure proper and healthy lactation, cows need daily plenty of fresh and clean water. For this animal should provide no less than 60 liters of fluid per head per day. When growing bulls and beef species, the amount of water for feeding can be reduced to 40-50 liters per head per day, but it is strictly prohibited to thirst cattle with thirst.

Read also about the breeds of cows meat and dairy areas: Simmental, Holstein, Alatau, Bestuzhev, Caucasian brown, Krasnogorbatov, Schwyck.

Video: Montbeliard cows

Montbeliard is a modern and highly productive cattle breed. Despite the fact that it was bred a few centuries ago, its relevance is not lost to this day. First of all, this is due to the fact that animals are distinguished by high productivity, as well as high-quality meat and dairy products. In order to obtain it in full, it is necessary to provide the animals with appropriate housing conditions, including a healthy and rich diet.