The term cattle refers to any group of cows, bulls and oxen, of any breed, raised domestically in order to extract some type of product from them. Among these products are milk and meat, used for food consumption, and leather, with which garments or accessories are made, among others..
In addition, in ancient times they were used to carry out the work of force in the field, oxen being the most used for these purposes. Today, machinery is used to carry out work that previously belonged to cattle..
There are different breeds, which have characteristics that make them more suitable for the production of meat or milk. Also, according to the breed, cattle will have an easier time acclimatizing to different types of climates and soils..
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Some of the most important characteristics of cattle are listed below..
For the exploitation of cattle, three types can be differentiated:
Extensive exploitation, generally, is carried out on land or locations where the land does not have conditions for the development of crops, either for climatic reasons or due to the characteristics of the terrain itself. Using these lands to plant pastures, which will serve as food for the animals.
Due to this, the quality of the cattle is usually low, as well as the profitability of the company. Although, among the positive aspects are, a low initial investment, and the possibility of having cheap labor, due to the little technification of the process.
In intensive exploitation the main objective is to obtain the highest possible yield, in the least amount of time feasible. For this, the size of the locations that are used is specific for the amount of cattle that will be worked, and the environment is controlled in temperature and humidity..
Livestock feeding is mostly focused on concentrates and pastures. In addition, the operations carried out in this type of exploitation are, for the most part, mechanized, so they require qualified labor.
However, even if the initial investment is high, the benefits obtained are even greater.
For mixed exploitation, cattle are used to increase crop yields in the field, and in addition, increase the profit of the agricultural company.
This is achieved by sowing forage plants when crops are rotated, using it, on the one hand, as feed for cattle, and on the other, to provide nutrients to the soil through manure..
The feeding of the cattle is based mainly on pastures and grains, varying in quantity and type according to the nutrients that are necessary in each age or cycle of the animal.
By having 4 stomachs, the way they eat is quite particular. In the first instance, a lot of food is consumed, filling the rumen. Then, they lie down and begin to ruminate on the ingested food, that is, they chew the food again for a long time, mixing it with saliva, to break it down..
They then go through different processes in the second and third stomach (reticulum and omasum), to end in the abomasum, which is responsible for absorbing nutrients.
The amount of feed that a bovine needs daily is approximately 2.5% of its weight, although during lactation, a cow can consume twice as much.
The type of food that is delivered must include a specific amount of proteins and minerals, which are calculated taking into account, the type of product that is extracted from the reel, and its life time.
In places where the pastures do not have a good amount of nutrients, the diet is supplemented with supplements that provide the nutrients that are needed, since a good diet of the cattle results in a better quality of the final product.
There are a large number of diseases that affect cattle, most of them infectious. One of the drawbacks of this type of disease, in addition to the condition of the animal, is that they have the ability to affect humans who consume milk or meat from a sick animal.
In addition, if they are not controlled in time, it can infect a large number of cattle, which must be slaughtered, generating large economic losses for the producer..
Some of the most common diseases in cattle are the following:
Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious and rapidly spreading disease that affects cattle, which can cause lesions between the hooves, fever and inability to eat, among others..
Its transmission occurs mainly through the respiratory tract and if it is not stopped in time it can affect a large number of animals, producing restrictions in the market for the producer..
Internal parasites are very common in cattle, causing a delay in growth and weight gain. In addition, on occasions, it causes the death of the animal, especially the youngest.
These parasites are formed in the feces of cattle, turning into larvae, which are ingested by the cattle from the pasture, finally locating in the gastrointestinal tract..
Mastitis is one of the diseases that occurs most frequently in dairy cattle, making the milk salty and with infectious molecules, which make the product unfit for consumption.
It is produced by bacteria that directly infect the cow's mammary glands, and symptoms such as loss of appetite, fever, or udder pain may occur..
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