Yakut cow: description and characteristics of the breed, rules of keeping

The Yakut miniature cow is not like other representatives of the horned tribe. The humpbacked baby has remarkable strength and dexterity. Through the fault of unlucky breeders, the breed almost disappeared from the face of the earth, but some of the cows were saved by the efforts of livestock breeders. Few people know that the Yakuts are producers of nutritious milk and delicious marbled meat.

How the breed appeared

The Yakut cows inherited their colorful appearance from their ancestors - Indian zebu. The kinship with exotic animals is evidenced by a slight hunchback and an unusual structure of animal fur.The first representatives of the Yakut breed appeared on the territory of the Republic of Sakha. By the middle of the 18th century, experts identified the distinctive features and qualities of the breed. The main advantages of animals were recognized as the ability of pets to endure severe frosts and unpretentiousness in food.

For decades, the breed has evolved without changing. In the 20s of the last century, unpretentious pets began to be crossed with cows of the Kholmogory and Simmental breeds. Experiments led to the disappearance of shaggy cows. Experts tried to revive the breed, but failed to correct the situation. Today you can see animals only in individual private farms and in the Novosibirsk nursery of the Research Institute of Agriculture.

Description and characteristics of Yakut cows

Representatives of the Yakut breed belong to the meat and dairy type of cattle, but in many respects differ from their relatives. Yakut women love to make dizzying jumps, which allows them to overcome various obstacles on the way to fresh grass.

Burenki tolerate frosts without problems, but negatively perceive rains. Pets become attached to the owners and gratefully accept care. Animals practically do not get sick and in most cases bring he althy calves. General signs of the Yakut breed:

Yakutka is one of the shortest cows. The growth of the largest individual barely reaches 120 cm.
The maximum weight of bulls reaches 500 kg. The weight of an average cow is 340 kg.
Small, well-knit torso and short powerful legs testify to the unpretentiousness and strength of the pet. The picture is somewhat spoiled by a hunchbacked back and an undeveloped, hanging backside.
The fleshy wide neck of a cow is crowned with a small head. Bulls have folded neck skin.
The head of the animal is decorated with straight, slightly curved horns.
Dense thick skin and long wool are designed to protect the cow from frost and annoying insects.
Among animals there are individuals painted in white, black or red shades. You can often see spotted cows.

Miniature cows are extremely shaggy. The hairline of animals is 2-3 times thicker than the hair of ordinary cows. With the onset of frost, the strands quickly grow back, becoming 5-6 times longer. Luxurious curly fur coat helps pets survive the fierce winter.

With the onset of sustained heat, cows shed long strands of wool. The life expectancy of pets is 15-19 years.

You should not expect amazing milk yields from the Yakut. For a year, an unpretentious cow gives a little more than 1500 liters. This figure is 3 times lower than that of other cows. Modest milk yields are more than offset by the quality of the milk. The fat content of the product is 5-9%, and in terms of the content of vitamins, it is a real champion.Milk has a sweet taste and is great for making butter, sour cream and other fermented milk products.

Yakut cows are known as suppliers of special marbled meat. It is famous not only for its exquisite taste and aroma, but also for the presence of substances that prevent the accumulation of cholesterol and carcinogens. Pale pink pulp of the product is dotted with thin fatty layers. To date, the task of livestock breeders is to preserve the few surviving representatives of the breed, so cattle are rarely slaughtered.

Pros and cons of animals

Yakut babies do not require complex care, but some of the nuances of these animals must be taken into account.

Pros and consThe pickiness of cows to the conditions of detention and nutrition.The extraordinary ability of animals to acclimatize. Cows perfectly withstand severe winters.The modest dimensions of cows allow you to save on feed and barn area.Excellent quality meat and milk cows. The productivity of cows is not affected by changes in weather or housing conditions.Strong immunity reliably protects pets from colds or infections.Cows quickly gain weight.Animals are distinguished by a peaceful, complaisant disposition. An exception is made for recently born animals. Some cows let their owners in only in the presence of a calf. The baby is applied to the mother's udder before and at the end of the milking procedure.Thanks to thick skin and dense hair, pets endure insect bites.In winter, the udder of the animal is densely overgrown with long hair, so it is difficult to use the milking machine. The glasses of the mechanism cannot capture the small nipples of the cow. The cow has to be milked by hand, which means that the effectiveness of the procedure is reduced.The cost of calves of the Yakut breed is several times higher than the prices for animals of other meat and dairy breeds.Horned babies are distinguished by their predilection for high jumps. This cute feature becomes a problem for owners of pregnant cows. Farmers have to surround the paddocks with high (at least 1.5 m) walls.Nurses do not tolerate artificial insemination, preferring the services of a breeding bull.

How to keep and care for the breed

Nature took care of the survival of Yakut cows in the harsh winter. Thanks to the fat layer, dense skin and long wavy coat, cows can sleep right on the snow. They are not afraid of 50-degree frosts and gusts of icy wind, so it is not worth building a capital warm barn for cows.

Summer place

In the warm season cows are content with fresh grass, tree branches, last year's hay and even bark. Due to the special structure of the intestines, animals are able to digest coarse food.Before sending cattle for free grazing, the place for summer walking of animals is scrupulously inspected, removing sharp-angled stones, sticks and deadwood from the ground. If left to chance, horned pets risk injuring their eyes or the delicate skin of the udder.

For cows, abandoned wells or deep ditches pose a great danger. Broken wires on power lines are often the culprit.

Cows should not be driven out to a pasture planted with legumes, colza or rapeseed. Pets like such food, however, when overeating, animals suffer from bloating. It is undesirable to release cows on fields sown with cabbage or potatoes. On the territory of the pasture, sheds are installed to protect pets from rain and the scorching sun. Special feeders and drinkers are installed under the canopies.

How to equip a barn

Animals do not need a warm room, an exception is made only for cows during the calving period.They build a hoton for pets - this is the name of the barn in the local language. Hoton is equipped with hanging feeders for hay and green fodder. Wet food is served to cows in troughs or shallow wide buckets. Ideally, the feeder should be in the shape of a trapezoid.

Animals sleep without problems in snowdrifts, so the floors in the barn are made of any cold materials except metal. To create comfortable conditions, the floor of the barn can be covered with a small layer of hay and straw.

Content rules

Cows are great outdoors. All year round they live in open pastures without the need for shelter. On the territory of the pasture, sheds are installed to protect pets from rain and the scorching sun. Under the shelter place special feeders and drinkers. The cows that have given birth together with the calves are kept in a light building. Cows and calves are regularly walked in any weather.

How to clean the barn

Feeders and drinkers are constantly washed. The remains of the old feed are replaced with fresh products. If there is a bedding on the floor, the coating is changed as necessary or diluted with a fresh portion of straw. If the barn floor is made of boards, the material is renewed every 4 years.

Diet

Yakutian animals have long been accustomed to being content with pasture, but in winter their diet consists of additional products.

Summertime

In summer, the main food for pets is juicy meadow grass and tree branches. If the vegetation on the pasture is sparse, milk yield and fat content of milk decrease in cows. In this case, the diet of pets is supplemented with compound feed and nutritious root crops.

In wintertime

In winter, the daily diet of cows consists of 6 kg of hay, 1 kg of root crops (carrots, beets) and 300 g of compound feed. The drinking bowl is constantly filled with clean water.

Breeding

Yakut cows are fertile and bear childbirth without any problems. The approach of the moment of calving can be judged by the restless behavior of the cow. The animal hums plaintively, constantly lies down and immediately gets up. Before calving, it is necessary to clean the room and change the bedding. The genitals of a woman in labor are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.

The period of childbirth lasts 30-40 minutes. A newborn calf is cleaned of birth secretions and mucus, the place of umbilical cord circumcision is treated with iodine and returned to its mother. After calving, the cow is washed with warm soapy water and wiped dry with a rag. The bedding in the stall is changed again.

The calves are born he althy and after 1.5 months the baby is transferred to separate apartments. The mass of newborn babies, on average, is 20 kg. Thanks to the nutritious mother's milk, calves gain 800 g of weight daily. Yakut cows feed their offspring for up to 8 months, and then the young are transferred to roughage.By the age of 1.5 years, animals are fattening up to 300 kg of weight.

Worth buying

Despite the high cost of calves and the difficulties with delivery, buying Yakut cows is a profitable venture. Unpretentious cows will fully recoup the investment, and if properly bred, they will bring considerable income to the owners.

The small size of cows allows you to breed livestock even in a limited area of a small farm.