Aubrak breed of cows: description and characteristics, rules of keeping

The breed of cows Aubrac (from the French. Aubrac - a monastery in France) was bred for milk, meat, and also as a labor force when performing field work and as a traction force. Today the breed has a meat value. Animals are resistant to changes in temperature and climate, well absorb different types of roughage, are known for longevity and endurance, and their peculiar appearance will not be confused with another breed.

Anatomical characteristics and description of obrac cows

Animals of the Aubrac breed, as a rule, have a light brown color, light spots on the limbs and muzzle.The tail and nose are often dark. This cattle is very undemanding, feels good in hard-to-reach areas. Have a hairline that allows you to endure strong temperature changes without complications. A large amount of solid food is allowed in the diet - the obraks absorb it well.

Anatomical characteristics - appropriate appearance. The body is strongly muscled, but compact. Bull-inseminator - with a hump. The head is not very large, characterized by a concave profile. Trunk: The loin and back are relatively wide, the back and front are well developed. The limbs are strong, set in the right way. The height at the withers is 1.3 meters, the weight of a born bull is up to 50 kilograms, a cow is up to 750 kilograms, a bull is up to 1.1 tons. Slaughter age - from 16 to 20 months. High reproducibility and milkiness.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

Pros and conshigh calving rate and excellent milk production;easy calving process;high productivity rates;good absorption of roughage (dry plant foods rich in fiber - hay, straw, branches, roots and root crops);great endurance;do not need additional care.

For all its positive aspects, there is also a minus - aggressiveness, but only when there is a threat to your calf or yourself during pregnancy.

Maintenance, care and feeding

For shacks, a stall, stall-pasture or stall-range system is selected. It is optimal to maintain the temperature and humidity conditions in the room: with an increase in temperature of more than 25 degrees, productivity drops significantly. In summer, daily walks are necessary, during which it is necessary to ventilate the stalls - excess moisture and carbon dioxide will go away.

Known successful practice of keeping in the warm season just under a canopy. In winter, ventilation is also needed, but with temperatures up to 5-9 degrees.

Dairy cows require care in the form of cleaning the skin from dirt and parasites, this also increases the overall tone of the body and improves appetite. Cleaning should be carried out away from the place of supply. Scraper and brush required, soap if needed.

Feeding of Obrachs is organized in the form of 2-3 meals a day. In view of the meat orientation of cattle, it is worth planning a balanced and most nutritious feeding: green grass, silage, vegetables and fruits, cereals and legumes, ripe root crops, concentrated feed (bran, compound feed), top dressing (s alt and additives). Serious beriberi is possible in the spring; prevention and elimination - vitamins in food and injections.

Features of breeding

For breeding, bulls are best suited at the age of 8 months, cows - 1 year. Too late or too early mating can lead to problems such as weak offspring, painful childbirth, and the disappearance of milk.

It is important to pay attention to the physiological cycle of the cow, which consists of 4 stages:

Heat in heat: the cow's body shows readiness by secreting mucus.
Excitement: attraction of a cow to a bull, which may cause food refusal and lowing.
Heater: the cow's genitals swell and turn red, which lasts up to 2 days, at which time mating should be carried out immediately.
Ovulation: starts at 10 hours.

Collection has no features. Methods - similar to those used for other breeds and types of cattle. Representatives of the Obrak breed, as a rule, do everything on their own, while the bulls do not injure the cows. To improve the breed, it is optimal to replace the bulls in the herd once every 2-3 months.

They also practice artificial insemination of cows, which also helps to refresh the blood without critical material costs.

What do they get sick with?

Diseases of Aubrac, like other cows, are non-infectious and infectious. Non-infectious lead to the death of only one cow. Caused by poor care and improper maintenance. Infectious diseases can destroy the entire herd. Some diseases are transmitted to humans. These are cowpox, brucellosis, foot-and-mouth disease, rabies, leukemia, tuberculosis and actominosis. For any unclear symptoms, a consultation and examination by a veterinarian is necessary.