The cattle in this class are treated differently. For one thing, calves of either sex are seldom slaughtered for veal. The bulk of the male stock is castrated--that makes a steer--and raised for high grade USDA prime, choice or good beef. The female stock is not bred; they remain heifers and are raised, fed and fattened along with the steers to provide beef equal in quality to that of any steer.
It is possible for an experienced butcher to distinguish between a heifer and a steer carcass based on the shape and contour of the pelvic region, but it is impossible to tell the difference in sex between one T-bone steak and another. The top quality bulls and cows of the meat class are saved for breeding. But in the end they, too, are likely to end up sausage. By By Merle Ellis. Their digestive system allows them to digest plant material by repeatedly regurgitating it and chewing it again as cud.
This digestive process allows cattle to thrive on grasses, other vegetation, and feed. A cow chews its cud for about eight hours a day. When an animal chews its cud it is a sign of health and contentment.
Other ruminant animals include deer, elk, sheep, and goats. Life Cycle. Many ranchers run cow-calf operations. They keep a herd of cows to produce calves.
The cows are bred to calve in the spring or fall. Cows, like humans, are pregnant for nine months. Colostrum, a cow's first milk after birth, is very important to a newborn and should be consumed as soon as possible. Calves are born with no protection from diseases, so their antibodies come from their mother's milk. Calves absorb antibodies from the colostrum directly into their bloodstream through pores in their intestinal lining.
Within the first few hours the intestinal walls begin to thicken and the pores close up. By the time they are six hours old they can only absorb a fraction of what they need. After filling their stomachs calves may feel like bucking and playing.
For the first three weeks of the calf's life they only drink their mother's milk, because their rumen is not yet fully developed. Rumen is one of the stomach chambers in ruminant animals. Humans do not have rumens.
Between weeks the calf goes through a transitional period where they start eating some hay and grass along with the milk. After eight weeks the calf's rumen should be fully functioning. The rumen will grow 25 times larger from birth to adulthood.
A newborn calve is commonly tagged. Each ear tag has an individual number which helps ranchers pair the mother with their young and track the calf through its lifecycle. Within the first few months, the calves will be branded. A brand is an identification mark for cattle. It can either be a hot iron brand or a freeze brand. Some operations use earmarks, as an additional way to identify their cattle.
During branding all calves are vaccinated to help prevent disease. The young male calves are castrated during the first few months. After castration, they are referred to as steers. Calves are usually sold after they are weaned, at about six-eight months. After weaning, cattle are sent to feedlots for approximately days where they are fed a high-energy ration of grain and hay. After this time called finishing, the cattle are sent to a harvest plant. To keep the herd size approximately the same, ranchers save replacement heifers females.
The steers males will be sent to the feedlot while a few heifers are kept behind to raise and later produce calves themselves. Other heifers will go to the feedlot as well. Steers are more common in the beef industry, because they grow faster and naturally have more muscle. The ideal breeding age for heifers is at least months of age, depending on breed. There are numerous breeds of cattle raised in the United States.
Some breeds have been around for centuries, while others have been developed in the last couple of decades by mixing older breeds. Brahman cattle come from India, and are the most common cattle breed in the world.
Over the centuries, Brahmans have developed resistance to pests, parasites, and diseases, and the ability to survive inadequate food and harsh weather. They have a large hump over their shoulder and neck, upward-curving horns, large ears, and excess skin under their necks and chests, which helps keep them cool.
They also are able to sweat better than most cattle, and secrete an oil which helps repel insects. The light-colored Charolais originated in France, where it was used for meat, milk, and drafting. The animals' large size and sturdy frame gave them the power to work in fields and pull wagons. The first Charolais came into the U.
Because of a disease outbreak in Mexico, the breed was not allowed to be imported to North America until Therefore, many of today's American Charolais have other breeds in their lineage as well.
Charolais do well under a variety of environmental conditions. They graze aggressively in warm weather, withstand the cold, and have heavy calves. For this reason, adding a Charolais bull to a herd can improve the size and ruggedness of calves. Dexter cattle originated in southern Ireland, and came to the U. They are one of the smallest breeds of cattle, with full-grown bulls measuring 38 to 44 inches at the shoulder and weighing less than 1, pounds. Some have long legs and some short.
Because of their size, they require less pasture and feed than larger breeds. They thrive in hot and cold climates, and are known for being gentle and easy to handle. Dexters have a high rate of fertility and are easy calvers. They can be raised for both milk and meat. They can produce more milk for their weight than any other breed, and their milk yields up to a quart of cream per gallon.
Their beef is slightly darker red than other breeds, and the small cuts are lean and graded choice. This breed originated in Baravia, in southern Germany, and was originally developed for meat, milk, and work. It was introduced to the U. Bulls in Germany must undergo extensive tests to become A. Gelbviehs are red, with pigmented skin, and were originally horned.
Due to breeding with polled foundation females in the U. They are known for high fertility, ease of calving, being good mothers, and having quick-growing calves. The Hereford breed was developed in England in the s to fulfill the expanding food market created by the industrial revolution.
The original Herefords were bred for a high yield of beef and efficient production, and those characteristics are still important in the breed today. They were brought to the U. Because of their early maturity and fattening ability, Herefords became very popular in the U. As tastes changed in the s, Herefords were bred to be leaner, with less fat and more red meat. Both horned and polled Herefords remain common in the U. They are known for their longevity, and for being docile, easy calvers, good milkers, and good mothers.
Holsteins are best known as dairy cows, but those animals not used for breeding stock or milk production are raised for their value as beef cattle. Holsteins originated in Holland more than 2, years ago, and were brought to America in the s as demand for milk grew in this country. The black and white cattle are known for outstanding milk production, but their normal productive life span is only about six years.
Healthy calves weigh 90 pounds or more, and mature cows reach 1, pounds. Limousin cattle may be as old as Europe itself; cattle in 20,year-old cave paintings in France are strikingly similar in appearance to today's breed.
The golden-red cattle are native to France, and were used as draft animals to help turn rugged, rocky soil into fields for crops. Limousins weren't imported into the U.
Today, there are more than a million registered head here.
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