History and description of the Dutch breed of cows, their characteristics and content
The Dutch breed of cows is understood as one of the most ancient animals, which are distinguished by a high degree of productivity. Representatives of this type of livestock are more than 300 years old. The breed was obtained in Holland by purebred breeding. Subsequently, she influenced the improvement of the livestock of many breeds of cows. The indisputable advantages of animals are high productivity and unpretentiousness to keeping conditions.
Content
The history of the breed
In the eighteenth century, this breed of animals was created. She appeared in Holland. The development of animals was facilitated by a favorable climate and excellent pastures. In the nineteenth century, the Germans became interested in cows. They brought them to Germany for subsequent selection work. As a result, the Ost-Friesian breed was created. Dutch cows are widespread in Europe.
Peter I brought cows to Russia. Work aimed at improving the breed helped the animals get a more powerful muscular corset and make the skin thicker. At the same time, it was possible to maintain high milk yield. Despite the fact that cows belong to the dairy sector, they can be used as a source of quality meat.
External characteristics and productivity of the Dutch breed
In appearance, the animals are a bit like the Belgian blue breed. However, this type of cattle is characterized by speckled black wool. The growth of animals can be 130 centimeters. At the same time, they have low and powerful limbs and a proportional body with pronounced muscles and strong bones.
Cows have a wide chest and an elongated head. They are characterized by a straight back and large cupped udders. All lobes are considered developed, and the nipples are in the correct position. At birth, the calf weighs 35 kilograms. The average weight of a dairy cow reaches 600 kilograms. Bulls are heavy. Some representatives of the breed reach 1 ton.
A distinctive feature of animals is early maturity. Calves grow rapidly. In this case, insemination begins as early as 14 months. Another distinctive feature of animals is cleanliness. The Dutch cow brings a lot of milk. During lactation, it is possible to obtain about 4.5-5 kilograms of milk from a milking individual. Its fat content exceeds 4%. Cow meat is considered to be of high quality. Since they are distinguished by an impressive fat mass, the slaughter yield reaches 60%.
Positive and negative sides
Maintenance and care
To get plenty of milk and quality meat, it is important to provide the animals with proper care.
Summer walking area
Grazing is considered the standard option for keeping animals in summer. In this case, groups are formed from several dozen cows. They must be controlled by the shepherd. This grazing option keeps the cows calm. However, they are able to maintain excellent muscle tone. It is important to ensure that a too zealous individual does not get into the group. It will negatively affect the rest of the herd. To protect the cows from the scorching sun or rainstorm, it is recommended to equip a shelter.
Barn arrangement
These animals are not allowed to be tied. Therefore, they are encouraged to organize a barn in the form of boxes. In such conditions, animals can freely move around the designated area, eat, rest and milk.
It is important to divide cows into categories, highlighting young heifers, milking and dry. The number of animals in a group should be 20-40. With a small number of cows, it is enough to resettle pregnant individuals at the last stages. Newborn calves should also be kept separately. With this type of content, it is recommended to use group feeders and drinkers. They will have to be cleaned after each feed. It is recommended to install straw flooring every day.
Since representatives of this breed put forward special requirements for cleanliness, instead of bedding, it is worth using special mats that are permissible to wash and clean. It is recommended to add lick salt to temporary and stationary feeders. This substance promotes bone formation, stimulates appetite and strengthens the immune system.
Conditions of detention
Dutch cows adapt well to cool climates. They are able to withstand short periods of heat, thrive in mild weather and withstand continental cold easily.
It is important to maintain a comfortable light level in the barn. Twilight leads to oppression of animals. At the same time, the use of modern lamps will allow high-quality lighting of the room.
Quality ventilation is also important. In this case, drafts should be avoided. In hot weather, cows need to keep a little cool. It will help increase milk yield.
Cleaning
Cows are highly sensitive to hygiene. Therefore, it is recommended to do the following every day:
- clean the stall;
- change the litter;
- remove feeders;
- wash the drinking bowl;
- ventilate the room.
Preparing for milking
Animals are highly susceptible to infectious pathologies. Therefore, at the stage of preparation for milking, it is recommended to do the following:
- wash the udder and nipples;
- examining the udder for formations - this helps to prevent mastitis or to identify the disease at the initial stage of its development.
Feeding rules
The diet is usually based on monofeed. Moreover, it must necessarily include the right amount of protein and proteins. It is recommended to gradually switch cows to the summer diet. Dutch individuals require the following products:
- 30 kilograms of silage;
- 5 kilograms of sugar beets or carrots - every 2 days it is allowed to enter potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini into the menu;
- 6 kilograms of hay;
- 1.5 kilograms of sunflower cake;
- 1 kilogram of grain or barley flour;
- 700 grams of bran - the daily volume is recommended to be divided by 3 times and given to animals in dry form or as porridge.
When grazing in a wet meadow, the watering of animals does not need to be given special attention. They can sometimes go to drinkers to bring the volume of fluid to the physiologically necessary. At the same time, adequate water supply in the barn is of great importance. This is especially true for dairy cows. Representatives of this breed usually drink water 2-3 times a day. Moreover, it must always be fresh. Milking females are recommended to consume 70 liters of water. The so-called dead wood is enough for 50 liters.
Breeding cows
Heifers are characterized by a high rate of puberty. They can mate as early as 14-16 months. In this case, it is possible to apply natural or artificial insemination. Every year the cows produce offspring without problems or delays. The hunting period is observed every 3 weeks. Its onset can be recognized by the female's increased anxiety. She also has genital swelling and estrus.
It is recommended to keep the calving process under control. If childbirth occurs during the cold season, the newborn should be wiped well and moved to a warm room. In this case, the baby needs a thick, soft bedding consisting of hay and sawdust.
In the first weeks of the calf, it is recommended to feed milk up to 6 times a day. Representatives of this breed are distinguished by a high degree of susceptibility to housing conditions and nutrition.
With artificial insemination, it is worth adhering to proportionality. Covering cows with a larger bull is not recommended. This is especially true at first calving. This often provokes serious problems during childbirth and even causes the death of the animal.
Frequent illnesses
Dutch cows are highly susceptible to leukemia and tuberculosis. Therefore, it is so important to control their health and monitor their health. In addition, with the arrival of cold weather, they often face the development of mastitis. Therefore, animals need rubber mats. This helps to avoid frostbite.
To avoid such dangerous pathologies as foot and mouth disease, brucellosis, pasteurellosis, it is important to vaccinate animals. Vaccinations also help prevent rabies and anthrax. The procedure should be performed starting from 2 months. For the prevention of skin pathologies, fungal or bacterial infections, it is important to treat the premises with caustic soda at least twice a year. Slaked lime is also suitable for this.
The Dutch breed of cows is very popular with farmers. These animals are characterized by high parameters of meat and milk productivity. At the same time, to improve the quality of products, it is important to provide pets with proper care. It should be comprehensive and include hygiene and quality nutrition.
