dimanche 30 juin 2019

Useful And Essential Facts About Charolais Cattle

By Linda Campbell


Over the years, beef production in the world has been boosted through development of various types of beef cattle. Some breeds have been in existence for many years. Continuous research is still being done to come up with better quality beef cattle even though the industry has experienced some impeccable achievements. One of the beef breeds that came into existence a long time ago is Charolais cattle.

The origin of this breed is the Charolais region in Burgundy, France. The purpose of developing this breed was meat production. The breed was previously widely used as draught animal. Over the years, this breed has been introduced to many nations around the world, including the US. Also, it has been crossbred with other breeds around the world like Angus and Hereford in order to come up with other new breeds.

When the breed is crossbred with Brahmans, the hybrid that is produced is referred to as Charbray. Charbrays are recognized as separate breeds in some countries around the world. The first introduction of Charolais into the United States happened in the year 1946. The introduction was done in the Southern states of the US border with Mexico.

Later in 1965, the breed was introduced into the northern state of New England from Canada. In France, Charolais hold the second position in terms of abundance. The first position is held by the Holstein. France had about 4.22 million heads of these animals in the year 2014. The global population of the breed currently stands at around 730, 000 million. Czech Republic and Mexico are the countries with the highest numbers of these animals. United States has substantial numbers too.

The physique of these animals is quite huge and they usually have large muscles as well. The bodies are covered in a white coat whereas their muzzles are pink in color. Their hooves have a pale color. These characteristics are common in the first generation but subsequent breeds have different colors. Nowadays, it is possible to find animals with black and red coats.

The breed has a long body and horns. Their heads are short but broad with the loins and haunches being generally masculine. The coat lengthens and thickens during winter. As summer approaches, the coats gradually become shorter and sleeker. The weight of mature cows is about 900kg with bulls weighing up to 1,100 kilograms.

These animals are known for uniformity and a high growth rate. They are very hardy and strong animals, capable of surviving difficult weather conditions. They are easy to handle due to their calm temperament. Bulls have been known to be aggressive in some cases, requiring care to handle.

Calves are highly protected by their mothers. At times, the cows become violent to other animals or people who go close to their newborn calves. Newborn calves weigh significantly and are able to move after a few hours of birth. This is because they are also strong and hardy when they get born. The rate at which the calves grow is remarkable.




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