Breeding technique of Simmental cattle

Simmental, which originated in Switzerland, is a world-famous breed of milk and meat cattle. After being introduced into our country, it is mainly used as a hybrid paternal line, which has a very obvious effect on the improvement of local breeds in various parts of our country, especially after crossing with local yellow cattle, it is produced in adaptability, disease resistance and stress resistance. and the production performance of the hybrid offspring are better than their parents.

So far, Simmental cattle have been introduced into more than 30 countries in the world. Simmental cattle were introduced into China from 1950s to 1980s. After years of breeding and propagation, local populations with their own characteristics have been formed in most parts of the country.

Introduction of Simmental cattle breeds

1. Appearance features: Simmental cattle, with yellow and white flowers or light red and white flowers, large physique, plump muscles, wide head and forehead, wide and deep chest, straight back, long and strong limbs, hard hooves, excellent maternal and beef cattle characteristics, adult bull weight 1000-1200 kg, cow 650,750kg.

2. Physiological habits: Simmental cattle have strong adaptability, dry and cold tolerance, and adapt to arid and semi-arid climate conditions. Simmental cattle are suitable for raising Simmental cattle in most areas north of the Yangtze River in China. Simmental cattle have strong feeding ability, wide use of feed and resistance to rough feeding. Simmental cattle have a long life, and the useful life is generally 6-8 years.

Enclosure preparation

In the so-called "living in peace and happiness", the first step in the artificial breeding of Simmental cattle is to build them a comfortable home. The basic requirements of the barn are ventilated and dry, sanitary and clean, warm in winter and cool in summer. Simmental cattle are generally raised by house feeding, and feeding and milking are carried out in the barn. It is generally designed as a semi-enclosed barn. Arrange a row of cowbeds along the longitudinal axis of the house in the barn. A playground should be set up outside the barn to allow cattle to move freely on the playground. The area of the sports ground is about 2-3 times the area of the cowshed.

Select breeder cattle

After the barn is built, the breeding cattle will be introduced. The breeding cattle are selected to further improve the quality and production performance of the herd and improve the productivity of the herd. Simmental is an excellent breed of beef cattle, but it also needs to be carefully selected.

1. Somatotype: the average body height of adult bulls and cows is 145 cm and 132 cm respectively. The coat is yellow, red, purple and white, and there are often strips of white on the shoulder blades and waist, and there are more white on the head, waist, legs and tail. The head is moderate in length and the horns are slender. Good combination of neck and shoulder. The chest is wide and deep, the body is cylindrical, and the back is muscular. In addition, breed bulls are required to have moderate testicles, round legs, stout limbs and strong hooves. The breast of the breeding cow is well developed, and the nipple is evenly thick and thin, basically between 2-3 cm.

2. Pedigree: we can judge whether the breeder cattle is up to the standard according to the pedigree, grade, body weight, parity, age and other indexes recorded in the pedigree.

Management of the transition period

In order to make the newly introduced breeder cattle better adapt to the environment, we have to raise the breeder cattle for a period of time.

1. Salt supplement and drinking water: for breeding cattle after long-distance transportation, they may be dehydrated and need to be supplemented with some animal salt. Bulk animal salt can be placed in a drinking tank to allow cattle to lick freely. Breeding cattle after long-distance transportation need a large amount of water, so it is necessary to set up a sink in the circle and keep the drinking water fresh, clean and adequate.

2. Diet: in diet, we should adhere to the principle of less feeding, feed half of the normal diet every day for two consecutive days, and then gradually increase the number of times and food intake.

3. Strengthen exercise: after a period of adaptive feeding, the physical strength of breeding cattle gradually recovers. At this time, arrange a certain amount of time every day to drive the cattle out for exercise, which can enhance their physique. After a 7-day transitional period, breeder cattle can enter the daily feeding management.

Daily feeding and management of breeding bulls and breeding cows

1. Breeding and management of bulls

In order to ensure that the breeding bull has a strong physique, exuberant libido, a large amount of semen and good quality, and to prolong the service life, there must be correct feeding and management methods.

The breeding of ① bulls: in raising, we should first ensure the nutritional needs of breeding bulls. The amount of adult bulls can be fed twice per 100 kg body weight, kg roughage and 1 kg concentrate every day. Feeding time: 5: 00 in the morning, 6: 00 in the morning, 4: 00 in the afternoon, 1 hour in advance in winter. When feeding, you should feed less frequently, first roughing and then fine. The concentrate formula is: corn 38%, soybean meal 30%, wheat bran 26%, fish meal 2.5%, calcium phosphate 1.5%, salt 1.5%, stone powder 0.5%. Roughage is mainly made from the mixture of dried alfalfa and Leymus chinensis. Among them, dried alfalfa accounted for 20%, northeast Leymus chinensis accounted for 80%. However, in practice, it is best to make full use of local resources to reduce the cost of feeding. In addition to feeding concentrate and roughage, in order to improve semen quality, it is best to supplement some vitamins. For example, if you feed some fresh carrots, you can feed 0.5 kg per 100 kg of body weight every day. If there are no carrots, multivitamins can also be added, calculated as 200 grams per ton of concentrate feed. During mating, if the breeder bull is too obese, it will make it difficult to collect semen or mate. Therefore, the weight should be checked every 2-3 months to adjust the feed ratio. When the breeder bull is obese, the concentrate feed can be reduced by about 15%, roughage can be added, and the exercise amount of the breeder bull can be increased.

Management of ② bulls: in addition to doing a good job in daily work, but also adhere to the cow body brush. Brush twice a day for 2-3 minutes each time. When brushing, it starts from the hindquarters, then to the abdomen, neck, and finally to the head, which plays a good role in promoting blood circulation, maintaining cow hygiene and safe production. Brush the cow twice a day for 2-3 minutes at a time, and repair the hooves regularly to keep the hooves clean. As long as the cow's hoof can be trimmed, not too deep, let alone damage to the blood vessels and nerves of the hoof. In addition, breeder bulls should exercise for 1-2 hours a day, which can allow them to move freely to promote blood circulation, maintain physical fitness and ensure normal production of breeder bulls. Breeder bulls exercise for 1-2 hours a day to ensure that breeder bulls can produce normally. The barn and playground should also be kept clean and dung and foreign bodies should be removed in time.

The use of ③ bulls: the useful life of Simmental cattle is about 6-8 years. Only by using the bull correctly can the useful life of the bull be extended. When the breeder bull grows to the age of 16-18 months and weighs more than 560 kg, it can begin to train for mating or semen collection. Young bulls can be bred or collected twice a week, and then transferred to normal breeding or semen collection at the age of 2 years, 2-3 times a week. When the density is above 800 million / ml, it can be properly collected for 3 times.

2. Feeding and management of breeding cows (empty period)

The breeding cow here refers to the empty period cow, during this period the weight of the cow drops rapidly and needs to be fed more in order to improve nutrition and promote oestrus. According to the weight of 100 kg, 0.5 kg of concentrate and 2 kg of coarse feed can be fed every day. The concentrate formula is: corn 30%, barley 20%, sorghum 8%, wheat bran 30%, bean cake 10%, salt 1%, calcium phosphate 1%. The coarse material can be silage or yellow silage, which is fed twice a day.

Breeding techniques of Simmental cattle

Simmental cattle are raised for a period of time and then reach the breeding period. The following is to introduce the breeding technology of Simmental cattle.

1. Identification of sexual maturity and estrus

The bulls matured sexually in 14 months and the cows matured in 16 months. Simmental cattle are in estrus all the year round, and the estrous cycle is 18-22 days. When the cow shows behavioral characteristics such as mental excitement, restlessness, climbing and turning around the tie post, it can be determined that the cow is in estrus.

2. Breeding

Simmental cattle generally use artificial insemination to reproduce. An average of 6000 cows can be fertilized per bull per year. After confirming that the cow is in estrus, the cow should be artificially inseminated in time. Next, we will introduce the artificial insemination technology of Simmental cattle. The first step is to collect semen from the breeder bull.

① artificial semen collection: artificial semen collection should be designed in a fixed semen collection room near the bull enclosure, the site should be clean, sanitary, hard, and covered with anti-skid mats to prevent the bull from slipping. The training staff should be fixed, and the training time should be fixed when the bull is energetic every morning, and in the middle of summer when it is cool in the morning. Rinse the abdomen and foreskin of the breeder bull before collecting semen. Then choose the strong, gentle and disease-free cow or bull as the Taiwan cow, and keep the Taiwan cow in the semen collection rack. In addition, wear sperm gloves. Take out the sterilized fake vagina and sperm collection cup, cover it with a protective cover, and finally apply a layer of Vaseline in the fake vagina. When you are ready, you can train the breeding bull to collect semen. Sperm collectors should be bold and careful and pay attention to the safety of human beings and animals. The semen collector stood behind the breeding bull to the right. When the bull took off and climbed onto the Taiwan bull, he quickly introduced the bull's penis into the false vaginal orifice. The bull rushed forward to complete the ejaculation, and the bull immediately went down. The semen collector was quickly transferred to the semen treatment room, and the collecting tube was carefully removed by the staff for testing. Finally, we will not introduce it in detail after a series of procedures, such as weighing, testing, dilution, sub-packaging, cold storage and so on. In short, sperm motility is required to be above 0.8 in order to use. Adult bulls can collect semen twice a week. Young cattle collect semen once a week.

② artificial insemination: before artificial insemination, the frozen semen is thawed, which can be soaked in 40 degrees warm water for 30 seconds, and then inserted into a special insemination device. The insemination device should be covered with a protective film, and the fertilized personnel should also wear fertilization gloves. Select the mating cow, Baoding in the breeding rack, find a special person to pull the cow's tail to one side, then scrub the cow's vulva with 1/1000 potassium permanganate water, and then you can be fertilized. The amount of fertilization required is generally 0.5-1 ml. The semen collector's left hand is closed in a cone, slowly inserted into the rectum from the anus, holding the cervix, and the right hand holding the insemination device is inserted through the vagina to inject semen. After the semen is injected, the insemination device is pulled out.

3. Pregnancy examination

The Simmental cow after breeding will soon enter the pregnancy period. If you want to determine whether the cow is pregnant, as long as some phenomena are observed, the cow with a normal estrus cycle before breeding can be judged to be pregnant if it is no longer in estrus 3-4 weeks after mating, and when it is accompanied by increased appetite, stable movement, temperament becoming docile, sleepy and so on. It is also possible to touch the cow's uterus during the third month of pregnancy, and if it is found to be as big as a fist, it proves that it has indeed entered the pregnancy. The average pregnancy time of cows is 284 days. After determining the pregnancy of the cow, the expected delivery date should be calculated as soon as possible. It is generally calculated according to 280 days, the month of re-breeding is reduced by 3, and the date of re-breeding is added by 7. For example, if mating on August 4, the expected date of birth is May 11.

4. Pregnancy management

It is determined that after the cow enters the pregnancy period, the cow during pregnancy needs careful care by the breeders, and the pregnancy period can be divided into two management stages to prepare for the birth of the baby cow. First trimester and third trimester of pregnancy.

① early pregnancy (the first 6 months of pregnancy), that is, the first 6 months of pregnancy, because the fetus develops slowly and needs less nutrients, general feeding can meet the needs. As there is no drinking tank in the cow house, attention should be paid to feeding concentrate first, and then coarse feed when the concentrate is almost finished, and the amount of coarse feed can be carried out according to the feed formula of empty period. Four hours after the cow has eaten 3Mui, the cow should be released from the enclosure and allowed to drink freely.

② late pregnancy (the last 2-3 months of pregnancy), that is, the last 2-3 months of pregnancy, the fetus grows rapidly, and 80% of the birth weight is formed during this period, so the proportion of concentrate should be increased to 30% of concentrate content and 70% of coarse material content. Diet: concentrate 4 kg per head per day, silage 12 kg per day, fed twice a day. The concentrate formula can be based on 50% corn, 10% wheat bran, 30% cakes, 7% sorghum or barley, 2% bone meal, 1% salt, plus 1 million units of vitamin A.

Note that cows must be avoided from eating moldy feed. When cows exercise, they should avoid being scared and run so as to prevent miscarriage.

5. Delivery

With the gradual development and maturity of the fetus, the cow has a series of prenatal changes before delivery. Pregnant cows have swollen labia a week before delivery, and transparent mucus flows out of the vagina; if it is found that the muscles on both sides of the tail root are obviously collapsed, nervous, lying from time to time, frequent defecation and urination and other phenomena, it is necessary to prepare for delivery immediately. Under normal circumstances, cows can naturally give birth to a fetus.

VII. feeding and management of calves

After birth, calves have poor adaptability to the outside world, and their development is closely related to the production performance of later adult cattle. Therefore, attention must be paid to the feeding and management of calves. The whole calf period is 6 months.

1. Feeding

Calves should eat colostrum in time after birth. Newborn calves are usually raised in the same enclosure as cows. When the calf is born a month or so, a calf fence can be set up in the corner, or it can be used as a supplementary feeding ring. At this time, the breeder can train calves to feed instead of milk. Feed some green hay and a small amount of concentrate and let them eat freely. At the same time, calves should be provided with adequate drinking water.

2. Prevent diarrhea

As the calves are just born, the immunity is still very low, disease resistance is poor, the most prone to diarrhea, so when diarrhea is found in calves, it is necessary to give an injection of berberine to the sick calves, which can play a role in preventing and treating intestinal diseases.

3. Moderate exercise

Proper exercise of calves can strengthen their physique and improve their disease resistance. Calves can move freely in the sunny playground half a month after birth, basking for half an hour to 1 hour at first, and then increase gradually.

4. Early weaning

Calves should be scientifically weaned according to their growth and development at the age of 3-4 months. After weaning, calves can be fed in small groups of 10-15 in each group. In order to ensure that the feed could meet the needs of calf growth and development, the ratio of concentrate to roughage in calf diet should be kept at about 1:1. According to every 100 kg body weight, 1 kg roughage and 1 kg concentrate can be fed twice a day. Roughage is best fed to hay, and straw can be added gradually after 4 months of age.

5. Break the angle

When calves are 4 months old, their horns should be cut off in time. First cut off the horns with a sterilized knife, and then burn the growing point with a hot iron.

Feeding and Management of breeding cattle

When the calf reaches the age of 6 months, it can be transferred from the calf shed to the breeding barn and enter the breeding stage, which takes 6-18 months old. This stage is the period of all-round growth and development of calves, if the feeding is poor, it will affect the production performance of their whole life. We divide this period into two stages.

Feeding and management at the age of 6-8 months

The period from June to August is the fastest period for the growth and development of adult cattle. In order to take into account the nutritional needs of the growth and development of growing cattle and promote the further development and improvement of digestive organs, high quality hay and silage should be used in the roughage fed in this period. at the same time, some concentrate must be supplemented properly. Generally speaking, 75% of the dry matter in the diet should come from roughage and 25% from concentrate. According to every 100 kg body weight, 2 kg roughage and 0.75 kg concentrate can be fed twice a day. It should be noted that some bred bulls are in estrus early and begin to be in estrus when they are 8 months old. in order to prevent illegal mating, bulls and cows should be reared in circles in time.

2. Feeding and management after 8 months of age

After 8 months of age, the rumen function of the cattle is basically perfect, so the diet can only meet the needs of its growth. According to every 100kg body weight, 2.5kg roughage and 1.5kg concentrate can be fed every day. Basically, the daily gain of each cow reaches 800-1200 grams per day. If roughage is insufficient, 0.5 kg concentrate must be added to each cow every day.

Daily management

In order to prevent the disease of cattle, it is necessary to pay attention to and strengthen the daily management of the barn. The daily management of the barn mainly does the following aspects:

1. Always keep the cowshed and sports ground clean. At the same time, in order to prevent the invasion of epidemic disease, vehicles and staff entering the cattle farm should be disinfected. Vehicles should be disinfected through a disinfection pool sprinkled with quicklime when entering the barn. There should be a special disinfection room at the entrance of the barn. The disinfection room should be equipped with a disinfection pool and ultraviolet light to disinfect the staff entering the barn.

2. Disinfect the barn and the sports ground regularly, generally using 2/1000 of caustic soda and 1purl 130 Yikang disinfectant. These two kinds of disinfectant should be used alternately. The prepared disinfectant should be sprayed directly on the floor and walls of the barn and the sports ground outside the barn, once a week.

Disease prevention and treatment

Planned health and epidemic prevention work for healthy cattle can effectively resist the corresponding infectious diseases. Generally, cattle are vaccinated with No. 5 disease once a year in May and November, which can prevent the occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease; tuberculosis quarantine is carried out every autumn; in addition, health care and deworming work is carried out every spring and autumn. Ivermectin can be mixed in the concentrate eaten by cattle, usually 2 kg ivermectin per ton of concentrate.