How many kilograms on average and maximum a cow can weigh, how to measure

Not every farm has a large scale for determining the body weight of animals. The calculation of the feed base for a year, the amount of vaccine for the prevention of diseases and other important parameters depends on the indicator. There are several options to find out how much a cow can weigh. The error of universal methods is only a couple of tens of kilograms.

What does weight depend on?

Weight depends on the amount of food, age, breed and other characteristics. The Holsteins stand out for their size. The Herefords, as well as Kalmyk and Kazakh white-headed cows, have an impressive weight. The lightest animals of the meat and dairy direction. And the largest are individuals that are specially bred for meat.

Keeping conditions affect the health of cattle. In sick animals, appetite decreases, cows begin to lose weight. The diet is carefully compiled. Cows need both dry and succulent feed. Useful supplements must be used in winter, when there is no access to fresh grass and root crops.

Average weight indicators

Mass indicators depend on the age and sex of the animals.

Cows

Each type of animal has a different weight. There are 4 types:

1. The heaviest are selected cows. Adults weigh about 500 kilograms.
2. Animals of about 450 kilograms are classified in the first class.
3. Cows with 4 quintals are second class.
4. 300-350 kilograms are typical for cattle of the third class.

12-month-old heifers weigh about 2 quintals. The body is not yet ready for mating, lactation has not come. Cows reach sexual maturity in different breeds at 2 or 3 years of age. Females reach their maximum weight by 5 years of age.

Bull

Bulls are not divided into categories. Males are significantly heavier than females. The difference in weight ranges from 300 to 500 kilograms. A month after birth, the bull weighs half a centner, by the age of one year - already 4. The maximum weight gain in kilograms is shown by bulls after castration. Enriched feed is introduced into the diet. Muscle formation is completed at 18-20 months, and the animals are sent for slaughter.

Calf

Under normal conditions, newborn calves weigh 30-40 kilograms. Deviations from the norm are possible with diseases of cows during pregnancy.In a month after birth, the animal gains about 15 kilograms. The weight gain in healthy offspring is 500 grams per day. After weaning from breast milk, weight gain slows down. By the age of one year, the goby gains about 400 kilograms, the heifer - 200.

Differences by direction

Breeders breed breeds for different directions. Milk is obtained from some cows, others are used for the production of meat products. Performance indicators, including weight, also depend on goals.

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Dairy

The meat of dairy animals is less nutritious, and the body weight is small. The average weight of a cow is only 3 centners, in bulls - 6. It differs from other breeds in that heifers reach the age of sexual maturity faster. After 2 years, they are able to bear offspring.

Meat

These are the most difficult representatives of cattle. Cows gain weight very quickly. The meat is tasty due to the special development of muscles and the distribution of internal adipose tissue. Even the females have an impressive appearance and dimensions - up to 800 kilograms, and the bulls are even heavier, in some representatives the body weight exceeds 1 ton.

Meat and dairy

The breed is considered universal, which is bred to obtain both milk and meat. The performance indicators of such cows are averaged. The level of milk yield is lower than that of the representatives of the first direction. And beef is received less than from animals of the meat breed. Heifers weigh about 550 kilograms, bulls - up to 900.

Output of meat from slaughter

Slaughter yield is the ratio of carcass weight after cutting to the weight of a live cow, expressed as a percentage. After slaughter, the skin is removed from the animal and the internal organs are separated. For different breeds, average values ​​are considered the norm:

1. Up to 50% in the dairy direction.
2. From 50 to 60% - in cattle raised for meat.
3. In cows of the Belgian blue breed, a double increase in protein mass is observed. The slaughter yield indicator reaches record values ​​- 75%, and sometimes even higher.

The yield of meat products is influenced by:

1. Breed.
2. Diet of animals.
3. The health status of cattle.
4. Conditions of detention.

Insufficient feeding leads to animal wasting. The weight of the cows is reduced and the gain in muscle mass is reduced. With age, cattle becomes heavier, but the ratio of meat to fat increases in favor of the latter.

How to determine the weight of an adult cow?

In animal husbandry, several methods are used to find out the weight of a cow without weights. Information is obtained using measurements of some parts of the body, formulas and tables.

For a reference point, average weight indicators are taken, which are compared with the obtained data in order to exclude obvious errors.

Trukhanovsky's formula

Farmers often take the Trukhanovsky method as a basis. This method is simple, the calculation error is low.

What you need:

1. Determine the width of the body girth - A. Measurements are carried out behind the shoulder blades, along the line of the chest circumference. Use a regular measuring tape.
2. Measure the length - B. To do this, take a straight, even stick, on which divisions are applied in centimeters. The attribute is applied to the protruding points on the line of the shoulder blades and the sacrum. The resulting value is recorded.

After determining the indicators, the calculations begin:

1. A is multiplied by B and then divided by 100.
2. The resulting number is multiplied by a factor. For dairy breeds, it is 2, for the rest - 2.5.

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The result obtained is corrected taking into account the fatness of the animal. From the result, from 5 to 10% is subtracted if the cow is slender. Add the same value if the animal has fat reserves in different parts of the body.

Regression method

In this method, only one indicator is recognized for determining weight - the girth of the sternum. The accuracy of the result is affected by the correctness of the measurements.The tape is placed under the ribcage at the distance of an adult's palm, approximately 6 centimeters from the elbow. The resulting value is multiplied by 5.3 and then subtract a certain number:

When taking measurements, the cow is completely immobile. If the animal is restless, try several times. Average values ​​are used for calculations.

Kluver-Strauch method

Another way of determining the weight of a cow is popular among farmers. The Kluver-Strauch method is convenient in that it does not require additional calculations. The value of body weight is found in the table, having previously learned 2 indicators. Measure the girth of the body behind the shoulder blades - A and the distance from the thigh to the middle of the neck - B.

Body weight is at the intersection of indicators. A cow with a chest of 125 centimeters and the same oblique body length will weigh 164 kilograms. The method is suitable only for determining the indicators of adult animals in which the skeleton has already formed.

With tape

Some farmers use a special tape to determine the weight. The divisions are applied to a flexible strip of fabric, not in centimeters, but immediately in kilograms. In a cow, the volume of the trunk is measured behind the front legs.

Measurement rules:

1. Make sure that the tape is perpendicular to the body when winding.
2. Several measurements are taken and the average is determined.
3. Depending on the body condition, the cows add or subtract from the result up to 10%.

This method has the greatest degree of error.

Weight record holders

Some cows are real champions. The maximum weight was recorded in the last century in a Holstein-Durkhman cow. A person named Mount Katadin, weighing more than 2 tons, reached almost 4 meters in girth and about 2 in height. The largest cattle representative entered the Guinness Book of Records. Not a single cow could gain even more kilograms.

Modern animals are distinguished by more modest parameters. Among them is the Big Chilli Cow. Weight exceeds 1 ton, height at the withers - 1.83 meters.

Cattle weight is determined in different ways. Each has a different degree of error. The methods are more suitable for small farms and private households. In large enterprises, the mass is recognized for sure by putting the cow on the scales.