The historical provinces that
offered the best breeding conditions were: Banat, Transylvania and
Bucovina. Nowadays the Romanian Spotted Cattle is the most numerous
breed in Romania.
The most significant
imports of Simmental bulls and heifers as well, were made especially
in Romanian areas with German inhabitants, between 1860-1872, 1885-1890
and 1919.
The first breeding
associations were founded in 1910; milk production control was introduced
in 1914. Between 1962-1980, 1400 Simmental heifers and 60 Simmental
bulls were imported.
The import of frozen
semen from progeny-tested bulls started in 1976; several hundred thousands
frozen semen doses have been imported.
The main lines
of the breed have been founded, in chronological order, by: Ideal
470, Trotz 2061, Roland 214, Kurt, Milano, Waechter, Hector, Waldemar,
Agakan, Salamon, Polder, Kapital, Herold, Piltz, Benito, Saulus, Herman,
Homar, Stan, Patron.
The effect of this
long absorption was the establishment of a population resembling the
Simmental breed, but preserving some own traits in the same time.
Called Romanian Spotted Cattle, it was established as a breed in 1959.
It is phylogenetically related to the following breeds: Simmental,
Fleckvieh, Montbéliarde, Czech and Slovakian Spotted Cattle, Hungarian
Spotted Cattle, Sychev (Russia).
The Romanian Spotted
Cattle has spread quickly due to its qualities so that it represented
37% from the Romanian cattle stock in 1955 and 44% in 1969. Nowadays,
it represents 36% due to the establishment of a new breed, Black Spotted
Romanian Cattle, which has partially inhabited the initial area of
the Romanian Spotted Cattle.
EXTERIOR TRAITS
The Romanian Spotted
Cattle is still characterized by a high variability due to:
- the variability
of the maternal breed (Romanian grey cattle-with five zonal types):
- the polymorphism
of the Simmental breed which is due to morphological type differences
from origin countries;
- the changing,
in time, of the objects in differentiated improvement of Simmental
Cattle's main productive abilities.
The medium values
of main morphometrical parameters of the Romanian Spotted Cattle are
the following:
|
Specification
|
Cows
|
Bulls
|
|
Withers-height
|
133
cm
|
150
cm
|
|
Bodyweight
|
600
kg
|
900
kg
|
|
Heart girth
|
186
cm
|
220
cm
|
Although the variability
has been restricted for the past twenty years, three basic types can
still be found at present:
|
Type
|
Withers
height - cm
|
Weight
- kg
|
|
The Banat plain type
|
136
|
650
|
|
The Tansylvania and Bucovina type
|
134
|
600
|
|
The Banat and Crishana hill type
|
132
|
550
|
Its color is red
with white (with shades from brick red to chestnut), yellow with white
(varying from light yellow, sand to wheat yellow ochre). Its head,
limbs down the hocks and knees, the lower barrel, the udder, the brisket,
the medium and inferior third of the tail are white. The muzzle is
pink, the horns and hoops are yellow.
The occurrence
of some pigmented zones on the head, limbs and barrel are not breed
impurities, these must be considered as resulting from the Romanian
Grey as maternal breed.
The Romanian Spotted
Cattle is hipermetrical with mesomorph morphological type, having
the ratio between oblique trunk length and withers height 119-120%.
Generally speaking
the conformation is mediocre from the harmony point of view, the sturdy
build is highly spread. The head is big, frontosus skull type with
intermediate traits between frontosus and primigenus, medium expressiveness,
measuring 35% from the withers height.
The forehead is
large, with big horizontal ears, medium horns, frequently lyre-shaped.
The big eyes are quite expressive, with colored iris. The neck is
medium, with more or less muscular mass, depending on the productive
type.
The trunk profile
is trapezoidal or rectangular, according to the productive type. The
trunk is long, wide and profound in individuals with high improvement
degree.
The upper part
of the trunk is wide and straight upward to the back, the tail is
upper attached because of the high development of the sacrum. The
rump is usually slanting horizontally, wide at the hips, but narrow
at the pin bones. The barrel in voluminous.
The udder is medium,
with large udder support and high variability as regards the glandular
tissue amount. The most usual udder defects are asymmetrical udder,
long and thick mammals, poor milkability.
The limbs are strong,
straight, with rather correct silhouette of legs and feet,
well-developed muscles, but often low at the fore legs. The hocks
are close, the pasterns quite often soft. Depending on the productive
type, the heart girth is usually large, deeper bodied 52-55%.
The skin has a
very good quality, is thick, dense and weighs 35-44 kg.
The Romanian Spotted
Cattle have quiet temperament, are gentle and patient animals, endowed
with good abilities for positive conditioned reflexes.
Characteristic
bio-economical traits
This breed is highly
adapted to the environment; the best results are achieved in the plain
and hills areas, continental climate.
Under the circumstances
of excessive continental climate, heat has a negative impact on milk
production, and the frost causes significantly smaller medium daily
gains.
The long productive
life is beneficial under half-intensive circumstances in small farms,
having six lactations as a result.
6% from the cows
reach 8-9 lactations by the age of 11-12 years.
Under intensive
circumstances, the productive life decreased to 3.5-4.1 lactations.
The long productive
life, taking into account the number of lactations is as follows:
The Romanian Spotted
Cattle is a belated breed from the reproductive and milk production
point of view, but precocious for meat production, suitable for any
fattening system. It makes good use of the grazing areas and in winter
of rough and volume fodder.
This cattle is
easy to manage and has a high resistance at hard life conditions,
even for short term, to poor nutrition.
Productive traits
The romanian Spotted
Cattle is a multipurpose breed; at present the main productive type
is milk-beef; approximately 20-25% from the stock belong to beef-milk
type; all individuals exhibit remarkable qualities for meat production.
Milk production
Medium value: 3000-kg
milk. 4% fat and 3,45% protein. The milk is remarkably suited for
high-quality cheese. This production varies considerably: from 1800
kg milk up to the record established by Zana 805, in her 6th
lactation: 13212-4.09%-540.
The life production
record belongs to Liza: 68,513-kg milk in 11 lactations. romanian
Spotted Cattle reach 60-65% from their highest production during their
first lactation; the highest production is reached during the 6th
lactation.
The genetic potential
of romanian Spotted Cattle may be estimated at 5000 kg milk at present.
Its milkability is poor, i.e., only 66-70% from cows can be adapted
to mechanic milking; milking speed: 1-1.1 l/min; residual milk: 0.42
l; udder index (functional symmetry): 42.8%; feed conversion: 1.1-1.2
feed units.
Crossbreeding with
Red Holstein has made production improvements; the following traits
have been improved:
- Milk amount 10-23%
more;
- Fat and protein
amount 10-18% more;
- Milk production
precocity;
- Udder - functional
symmetry; milking speed up to 1,5 - 1,7 l/min.
Meat production
It is remarkable.
From many points of view it is comparable to the one of beef cattle
being even superior in some characteristics. romanian Spotted Cattle
is good for intensive fattening; their medium daily gain is 900-1300
g, so that some young bulls reach 500 kg at the age of one year.
Their meat has
very good edible and technological qualities (colour: 0.18-0.24 Lange
units, excellent taste, fine fibre- 54 µm, good water retention ability
-5.6-7.5%, is juicy, tender-flavoured, consistent, marmorean and crisp
qualities highly appreciated).
The body weight
- wholesale cuts ratio for fattened animals are 54-60%. Feed conversion:
6.5-7 feed units. Intensively fattened young cattle reach the following
average weight: 12 months-360 kg, 14 months-430 kg, and at 16 months-480
kg. Wholesale cuts:
| Meat content |
60-70% |
| Bones |
16-20% |
| Fat |
10-15% |
| Meat-bones ratio |
3.9/1 - 4.2/1 |
| Round (thigh) |
29-30% |
| Rib |
17-19% |
| Longissimus dorsi area |
55-60 cm2 (between the 8th
and 9th dorsal vertebra) |
| |
71-88 cm2 (between the 11th
and 12th dorsal vertebra). |
Medium chemical
composition in beef:
- Dry matter -
25-30%
- Protein - 18.5-20%
- Fat - 8-14%
The Romanian Spotted
Cattle have high combinatory genetical ability with the following
breeds: Hereford, Piemontesa, Romagnola, Chianina, Charolais (specifying
that many dystocies occur with the latter).
Reproductive
traits
The Romanian Spotted
Cattle are belated from the reproductive point of view.
- The first calving
occurs at 30-33 month, lately approximately 20-30% from the pregnant
heifers have calved at 27-29 month due to breeding improvement.
- Calving interval:
400-440 days.
- Medium lactation
length: 320-350 days.
- Birth rate: 80-90%
- dystocies: 4%
from the stock (reproduction problems).
Development
of young cattle
Newborn calves
weigh 38-40 kg at the birth and reach the following body weights to
the young cattle intended to reproduction, during the main ontogenetic
stages:
|
Age
|
Males
|
Females
|
|
3
month
|
110-130
|
105-120
|
|
6
month
|
180-190
|
170-180
|
|
9
month
|
240
|
200-220
|
|
12
month
|
330-400
|
280-340
|
|
18
month
|
520-550
|
390-440
|
References:
Gligor, V., Zootehnia
României, Biciresti, 1973.
Sas, E., Master's degree, Timisoara, 1981.
Sas, E., Sas. L., V., Animal Husbandry Ethology and Modelling, Timisoara,
1996.
