Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Beef cattle


Beef cattle are bovine cattle (cows, see Bos taurus) raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle). The meat of cattle is known as beef. While the principal use of beef cattle is meat production, other uses include leather, and products used in shampoo and cosmetics. The plural beeves, when referring to such meat-animals (of either sex), is well known in the American cattle industry, but is often restricted to steers.
Breeds known as dual purpose breeds are also used for beef production. These breeds have been selected for two purposes at once, such as for both beef and dairy production. Dual Purpose breeds include the Brown Swiss and many of the Zebu breeds of India such as Tharparkar and Ongole.

Ankole-Watusi cattle


Ankole-Watusi cattle are a breed of cattle native to Africa. They have very large, distinctive horns similar to a Texas Longhorn. They are sometimes known as Ankole or Watusi. Like many cattle, they are the descendents of the Aurochs who became extinct in the 17th century. Watusi are native to Africa and, for over 6000 years, have played a pivotal role in the lives of various African tribes - Tutsi, Ankole, Bahima, and the Kivu - although the Tutsi are most often associated with the breed. The cattle provided food, currency, and tribal status. In Rwanda, where the Tutsi ruled, Watusi were known as “Insanga” or “the ones which were found” and “Inyambo” or “the cows with long, long horns.” Those with the largest and longest horns belonged to the King and were considered sacred, with some individuals having horns that measure twelve feet from tip to tip. The breed is often referred to as the ‘Cattle of Kings’.
Their digestive systems have the ability to utilize poor quality and limited quantities of food and water. These survival abilities have allowed them as a breed to not only survive the centuries in Africa but to become established on the continents of Europe, South America, Australia and North America.
The animals’ large horns are honeycombed with blood vessels, and are used to thermo-regulate in hot temperatures. Blood moving through the horns is cooled by moving air, and then flows back into the body and lowers the animal’s body temperature.
Watusi first came to America in the 1960s when Walter Schultz imported two bulls from Scandinavia and a female from Europe. Thanks to the efforts of private breeders, zoos, and associations, this magnificent animal is no longer endangered.
A Watusi steer named Lurch is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest horn circumference.

Chillingham Wild Cattle


Description of Chillingham cattle
The Chillingham cattle are a form of White Park cattle, although they are now generally regarded as separate from the main White Park breed. Chillingham cattle are small, with upright horns in both males and females. Like other White Parks, they are white with coloured ears (they may also have some colour on feet, nose and around the eyes). In the case of Chillinghams the ear-colour is red – in most other White Parks the ears are black (which is genetically dominant over red in cattle).
The most striking element of the historic habitat at Chillingham is the widespread occurrence of large oak trees amongst grassland (wood pasture), providing a glimpse of Britain as it may have been in medieval times. A diversity of plants and animals find a habitat here, due to the absence of the intensive farming found in most other places in Britain.
The Northumberland site is also home to a variety of other species including red squirrel, fox, and badger, as well as roe deer and fallow deer.[2] There are approximately 55 bird species including Common Buzzards, Green Woodpeckers, and the Eurasian Nuthatch which claims this latitude as its northernmost range in the United Kingdom.
An on-site warden at the park leads small groups on foot to find the Chillingham cattle herd; on some days they are evident in one of the easily accessible meadows, while on other days they are virtually impossible to find, given the tangled woodlands and the amount of space they have for roaming. Just to the east of the park is the summit of Ros Hill which gives an impressive view over the cattle.

Higland cattle


Highland cattle (also known as Hairy Coo or Hielan Coo) are an ancient Scottish breed of beef cattle with long outward spreading horns and long wavy pelts coloured black, brindled, red, yellow, or dun[1].
The breed was developed in the Scottish Highlands and western coastal regions of Scotland, and breeding stock has been exported to the rest of the world, especially Australia and North America, since the 1900s and is used as grazer in nature reserves in the Netherlands . The breed was developed from two sets of stock, one originally black, and the other reddish. Today, Highland cattle come in a wide variety of colours.
Highlands are known as a hardy breed due to the rugged nature of their native Scottish Highlands, with high rainfall and strong winds. They both graze and browse and eaAdd Imaget plants other cattle avoid. . The meat tends to be leaner than most beef, as highlands get most of their insulation from their thick shaggy hair rather than subcutaneous fat. The coat also makes them a good breed for cold Northern climates.
The Highland cattle registry ("herd book") was established in 1885[2]. Although groups of cattle are generally called herds, a group of highlands is known as a 'fold'. The breed is affectionately known as "shaggy coos" or "hairy coos" in parts of Scotland. They were also known as 'kyloes' in Scots.
Highland cattle have been successfully established in many European countries. Their hair provides protection during the cold winters, and their skill in browsing for food is also important in order to survive in such a steep mountain area.

Dairy Cattle


Dairy Cattle

A young dairy animal is known as a calf. A female calf which has not given birth to a calf and is less than thirty months old is called a heifer. When the heifer is seven months pregnant or has reached the stage in pregnancy where the udder starts to swell, it is known as a springer. After more than thirty months old, a female dairy animal is known as a cow. The process of birthing a calf is known as calving or parturition. A male dairy animal is called a bull at any stage of life, unless castrated, in which case it is known as a steer until it is four years old, then it is called an ox. "Ox" is also the term for any bovine trained for draft work; this is usually a steer. A dairy animal's mother is known as its dam. Similarly, a dairy animal's father is known as its sire.

Historically, there was less distinction between dairy cattle and beef cattle than is the case now, with animals of the same species often being used for both meat and milk production. Dairy cattle are now specialized animals, and most of them belong to breeds which have been bred specifically to give large volumes of milk. This milk is made into various products, including cheese, yogurt, butter, ghee, cottage cheese, whey, and ice cream, and is consumed around the world.