Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Useful Information Regarding Charolais Cattle

By Linda Campbell


There are numerous breeds of cattle which have been bred over the years in order to boost the production of meat across the globe. There are certain breeds which are very old, having originated many years ago. Despite there being tremendous achievement in this industry, more research is being conducted to develop better animals which are capable of producing more and better meat. Among the cattle breeds which have existed for quite a while now are the Charolais cattle.

This breed of cattle originated from the Charolais area, in Burgundy, France. The development of the breed was majorly done for meat production. Previously, it was largely used as a draught animal. Over the years, the breed has been introduced into many countries, including the United States. It has been crossbred with many other breeds around the world such as Hereford and Angus to achieve new hybrids.

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.

It was in 1965 that this breed was introduced in the New England from Canada in the northern states. Charolais holds the second position in population in France. In the first position is the Holstein. By the year 2014, France had a total of 4.22 million heads of these animals. Globally, the population is about 730, 000 million. The countries that have the highest numbers are Mexico and the Czech Republic.

In terms of physique, the animals have generally large bodies and muscles. The bodies are covered with a white coat. They have pink muzzles with pale hooves. However, these characteristics are mostly found in the original breed. Today, this is no longer the case since the animals have been crossbred with other breeds and there has been continued breeding. That is why one can come across animals with different coats other than white. Black and red coats are particularly very common.

The breed is usually horned with long bodies. They have broad, but short heads, with visibly muscled haunches and loins. During winter, their coats become longer and thicker. The coat becomes sleeker and shorter continuously as the weather becomes warmer in summer. Mature cows weight about 900 kilograms while bulls can reach 1, 100 kilograms.

The cattle are known to have high growth rate and uniformity. They are strong and hardy animals which can survive harsh climatic conditions. Since they have a calm temperament, they are quite easy to handle. However, there are instances where the bulls are known to be aggressive and should be handled with care.

Cows are very protective of their calves. Some cows have been known to be aggressive against people and animals that near their newborn calves. Calving is simple and is not known to have many complications. Calves are born with significant weight. Calves will be ready to start moving around after a few hours of being delivered because they are very hardy too. They grow at an impressive rate.




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