How much does a cow weigh: average and maximum figures in kilograms

Not every household has a large scale to determine the body weight of animals. The calculation of the feed base for the year, the amount of vaccine for the prevention of diseases and other important parameters depend 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 determines the weight?

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

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

Average weights

Weight indicators depend on the age and gender of the animals.

Cows

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

1. The heaviest cows are selected category. Adults weigh approximately 500 kilograms.
2. Animals about 450 kilograms are classified as first class.
3. Cows that scored 4 centners are the second class.
4. 300-350 kilograms are typical for third class cattle.

12-month-old heifers weigh about 2 centners. The body is not yet ready for mating, lactation has not yet occurred. Sexual maturity in different breeds of cows reach 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 is from 300 to 500 kilograms. A month after birth, the bull weighs half a centner, by the age of one year it is already 4. The bulls demonstrate the maximum weight gain in kilograms after castration. Enriched feed is introduced into the diet. The formation of the muscular frame is completed at 18-20 months, and the animals are sent for slaughter.

Stud bulls often weigh more than a ton. During the mating season, animals shed up to 50 kilograms.

Calf

Under normal conditions, the weight of newborn calves is 30-40 kilograms.Deviations from the norm are possible with diseases of cows during pregnancy. A month after birth, the animal gains about 15 kilograms. Weight gain in he althy offspring is 500 grams per day. After weaning from mother's milk, weight gain slows down. By the age of one, a bull-calf gains about 400 kilograms, a heifer - 200.

Differences by direction

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

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, for bulls - 6. It differs from other breeds in that heifers reach the age of puberty faster. After 2 years they are able to bear offspring.

Meat

These are the heaviest 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 females have an impressive appearance and dimensions - up to 800 kilograms, and bulls are even heavier, in some representatives the body weight exceeds 1 ton.

Meat and dairy

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

Meat yield from slaughter

The slaughter yield is the ratio of carcass mass after cutting and 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% for dairy products.
2. From 50 to 60% - in cattle raised for meat.
3. Belgian blue cows have doubled protein mass gains. The slaughter yield reaches record highs - 75%, and sometimes even higher.

The output of meat products is affected by:

1. Breed.
2. Animal diet.
3. Cattle he alth status.
4. Containment conditions.

Insufficient feeding leads to the exhaustion of animals. The weight of cows decreases, and the increase in muscle mass decreases. Cattle get heavier with age, 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 guideline, average weights are taken, which are compared with the data obtained in order to eliminate obvious errors.

Trukhanovsky's formula

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

What you need:

1. Determine the width of the girth of the torso - A. Measurements are taken behind the shoulder blades, along the circumference of the chest. Use an ordinary centimeter 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. Record the resulting value.

After determining the indicators, they begin to calculate:

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

The result obtained is corrected taking into account the fatness of the animal. From the result, take away from 5 to 10% 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 to determine the weight - the girth of the sternum. The accuracy of the result is affected by the accuracy of the measurements. The tape is placed under the chest at the distance of the palm of an adult, approximately 6 centimeters from the elbow. The resulting value is multiplied by 5.3 and then a certain number is subtracted: Coefficients

170-180507 180-190 More than 190

486
465

When taking measurements, they achieve complete immobility of the cow. If the animal behaves restlessly, make several attempts. Average values are used for calculations.

Klüver-Strauch method

Farmers have another way of determining the weight of a cow. The Klüver-Strauch method is convenient because it does not require additional calculations. The value of body weight is found in the table, having previously recognized 2 indicators. Measure the girth of the body behind the shoulder blades - A and the distance from the hip to the middle of the neck - B.

B, sm125140 155170185125164140216213 155 170 355393431185

A, see
264	295	328
	464	508	552		200
		597	649		215
			751

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.

Using tape

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

Measurement rules:

1. Make sure that the tape when winding is perpendicular to the body.
2. Take several measurements and determine the average.
3. Depending on fatness, cows add or subtract up to 10% from the result.

This method has the highest degree of error.

Record holders by weight

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

Modern animals have more modest parameters. Among them is the Big Chilly Cow. Weight exceeds 1 ton, height at the withers - 1.83 meters.

The weight of cattle is determined in different ways. Each has a different degree of error. Methods are more suitable for small farms and private households. At large enterprises, the weight is known exactly by putting the cow on the scales.

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