Of course, cows are most often kept for milk. Meat breeds of cattle are few in number and are not particularly popular with farmers. There are really a huge number of breeds of dairy cows. Some of them are bred by Russian farmers most often.
The most popular dairy cow breeds in our country are:
- Holstein;
- red steppe;
- black and white;
- simmental;
- jersey.
Holstein cattle
The most dairy breed of cows in our country is Holstein. From one such cow you can get 7-10 thousand kg of milk per year. The homeland of this breed is Holland. In most cases, Holstein are black and variegated. The disadvantages of cows of this breed include not too high resistance to diseases and relative whimsy in relation to the conditions of detention. Sexual maturity in this cattle occurs at the age of about 9 months.
A separate line of Holstein cattle is brown-white animals. Such cows give less milk (up to 4-6 thousand kg per year), but are considered less whimsical. The milk of brown-red cows is fatter than that of black-and-white cows. Therefore, such cattle are preferred by farmers, butter mills and cheese makers.
Red steppe cattle
Dairy breeds of cows can also be bred for specific regions. Red steppe cattle is the most common in the south of Russia. Such cows are bred mainly in the Krasnodar Territory and in the South Urals. The main advantages of red steppe cattle are their unpretentiousness. Cows of this breed easily adapt to any, even the most unfavorable climate and are undemanding to feed. Such animals give milk 4.5-6 thousand kg per year. Red steppe cows are inseminated for the first time at the age of 15-19 months.
Black and white dairy cow
From cattle of this breed, you can get up to 2900-6000 kg of milk per year. Black-and-white cows were bred in Russia by crossing Dutch and local cattle. The advantages of this breed of cattle include good health, the ability to make long transitions, and unpretentious feeding. Black-and-white cows are bred most often by farmers of the Middle Urals and Central Russia. Sexual maturity in animals of this breed occurs at the age of 6 months.
Simmental cows
Dairy cow breeds were bred, of course, not only in Russia or Holland. Simmental high-yielding cattle were once bred in Switzerland. This cow was brought to Russia a long time ago - almost two centuries ago. Up to 5 thousand kg of milk can be obtained from one such cow per year. The color of Simmental cows in most cases is reddish-white. The advantages of this cattle include quick acclimatization and good health. These cows are bred in almost all regions of Russia. Cows of this breed mature at the age of 8-9 months.
Jersey cattle
This breed, like all those described above, belongs to high-milk products. From one such cow you can get from 4 thousand kg of milk per year. The color of the Jersey cattle is light brown. This breed was bred a very long time ago, most likely, by the method of folk selection. The main advantages of Jersey cows include unpretentiousness and accuracy in relation to pastures. Such cows never spoil the grazing area. These cows reach sexual maturity by the age of 9 months.
Thus, the very best dairy cows are the ones described above. The price of these heifers is usually quite high. The cost of young cattle in this area of productivity is determined, most often by weight. The price for dairy heifers is usually 180-250 rubles per kg.
