This medium sized breed is indigenous to South Africa and was developed
over a period of several centuries. After Vasco da Gama rounded the
Cape in 1497 he briefly went ashore to acquire a black ox from the
local native people in exchange for three bracelets.
Da Gama subsequently paid tribute
to the excellent quality of its meat. This is history's first recording
of the black cattle of the Cape. Nearly four hundred years later,
at the time of the Great Trek, several voortrekker families left the
Cape to travel north with teams of the same black oxen then known
by the name of Vaderland cattle.
Most of these trekkers settled
along the Drakensberg range, among them the Uys family who began farming
in the present-day Volksrust area. The latter's dedicated contribution
to the improvement and maintenance of the breed's purity was universally
acknowledged, and in due course the name of the breed was changed
to Uys cattle.
This name remained unchanged until
1947 when the Drakensberger Cattle Breeders Society of South Africa
was formed to receive immediate official recognition.
By that time the black cattle
had become known as Drakensbergers because of their widespread concentration
in the mainly sourveld Drakensberg region, beginning at Dordrecht
in the Cape and stretching east and north over a distance of more
than a thousand kilometres.
Today the breed has spread throughout
the country, from Humansdorp in the south, through the eastern Free
State, KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Mpumalanga to Messina in the Northern
Province.
Although the Drakensberger has
always thrived extremely well on sourveld grazing, of late it has
been found to do even better in the sweetveld areas, as a result of
which the breed has been moving in substantial numbers into the North-West
Province and north western Free State and into the mountainous areas
of the Karoo.
Even the rest of the world seems to have taken note of the merits
of the Drakensberger, and there have already been steady inquiries
about the breed from as far afield as the United States, Canada, Brazil
and Mozambique, with exports to Zimbabwe, Namibia and Swaziland
Mission
The declared mission of Drakensberger farmers is to propagate the
traditional black animals carrying a maximum amount of high quality
beef without sacrifice of the breed's inherent qualities.
These include its ability to adapt
to all conditions, its good milk production, the average 35 kg birth
weight of calves, its high 90% fertility, its low mortality (in official
tests 49% lower than most breeds from birth to wean), the impressive
weight reached by weaner calves (heifers 210 kg and bullcalves 240
kg + on average 25 kg more in sweetveld), its even temperament that
makes for easy handling, and the outstanding mothering ability of
the cows.
Visual and performance testing
of animals for registration is compulsory, and many breeders have
testified that this requirement has not only brought about a marked
improvement in the weaning weight and calving percentage of their
herds but has also proven with the further help of BLUP analyses to
be the best guide for the selection of animals.
At present about 14 000 purebred
Drakensberger females and 5 300 males are registered, and on average
new registrations made annually number 2 700 females and 2 800 males.
All registered Drakensbergers carry a capital "D" on the
left shoulder.
The society issue certificates
of purity to breeders of commercial Drakensberger cattle that meet
the breed's standards of excellence. This certification enables the
owners of the animals to demand a premium price from buyers of their
stock.
To date the record price paid
for a Drakensberger bull at a public auction is R50 000, while the
top price
paid for a female is R9 250.
On average Drakensberger bulls
now realise R8 000 and females R3 500. Attendances to auctions often
include African farmers who favour the breed for draught and milking
purposes.
The demand for females is so great
at present that it is difficult to satisfy. Breeders emphasise that
one of the biggest attributes of Drakensberger cattle is their ability
to make maximum use of natural grazing, which is the cheapest asset
available to any livestock breeder.
Off the veld at 30 months they
weigh about 550 kg each, while purebred Drakensberger weaner calves
finished at a feedlot weighs about 440 kg at as early an age as 11
months. Another special merit of the breed is its ability to cross
well with both Bos indicus and Bos taurus breeds, making it exceptionally
suitable as a motherline breed in crossbreeding systems.
Mature bulls weigh from 820 kg
to 1 100 kg, and cows from 550 kg to 720 kg. Cows remain in production
for up to 20 years.
At both country and major agricultural
shows Drakensberger entries often feature among the top prize winners,
and on several occasions the breed has produced the supreme champion
beef animal of the year.
Please direct all breed enquiries
to Drakensberg Breed Office Snail mail: Box 273, Volksrust, 2470.
Tel: (01773) 2056. Fax: (01773) 51078. (27+ for international calls)
E-mail: draken@global.co.za
| FERTILITY:
conception rates over a 12 year period on sourveld. |
| Cows |
……………….92% |
| Heifers |
……………….100% |
| Reconception of heifers |
……………….90%
= an ICP of 394 days. |
| IMPORTANT!
92% of the cows/heifers calved down within the first third of
the calving season after a mating season of 75 days only. |
THE DRAKENSBERGER IS PRIMARILY A DAM LINE
- Early to medium maturity
- Medium frame size
- Low maintenance requirements
- Fertile - ICP to 353 days/92 cows
- Milk - 240 kg weaning weight (205 days)is
common in stud
- Long productive life of 14 years and more
FEEDLOT GROWTH
The following results were published
by Johan Bloem of Kanhym Feedlot where 1015 Drakensbergers were tested:
| Days in feedlot |
109 |
| Starting mass |
199 kg |
| Final mass |
357 kg |
| ADG |
1446 g |
| FCR |
4.72:1 |
| Morbidity |
7.5 |
| Mortality |
0.89% |
CARCASS QUALITY
Trials conducted by JF de Bruyn et. Al. (1989) on a different
breed groupings viz., Zebu-, British-, European breeds and the Drakensberger,
showed the Drakensberger to have the juiciest and most tasty (flavourful)
meat with the best cut ability.
The dressing percentage was
second only to the European breed whilst statistically higher that
the Zebu- and British breeds.
OFFICE PERSONEL:
Mrs S Van Niekerk,
PO Box 273,
Volksrust
2470
Republic of South Africa
Tel. (017) 7355056
Fax (01773) 51078
E.mail: draken@global.co.za
© 2001
- SASBA
These pages were developed and are being maintained by
The South African Stud Book and Livestock Improvement Association
