Sunday, May 25, 2014

The Benefits Of Irish Black Cattle

By Marci Glover


Irish blacks owe their origin to a Lowa state geneticist known as Dr. Jay Lush. The scientist developed a genetic theory where he stated categorically that the aspect of quality can be achieved on a continuous basis by simply concentrating a pool of genes by the process of line breeding. It is this theory that was developed and enhanced further by Maurice Boney under the leadership of Dr. Lush, to give rise to the Irish black cattle in the 1970s.

The breed has since been close- herd and line bred to facilitate built-in genetic prediction in effort to transmit their inherent quality genetics for production attributes, fertility and superior meat quality to progeny. The cattle were in addition preferred to as having an attractive feeding capacity, that is, efficiently convert forage into high quality beef.

The specific animals in this family are generally black in color and have a moderate body frame and size. However, red colored calves are occasionally given birth. They are also averagely muscled and have sound legs and feet. The breed is rather homozygous, which means that it is good at transmitting traits to the offspring. The bulls stand a high chance of transferring most desired parent traits to the new generation as opposed to bulls from other breeds.

There are numerous reasons why commercial producers should opt for this breed of cattle. To begin with, the animals have an outstanding genetic purity. The breed is well known for a trail of four-decade and line-breeding. Unlike others, it has no blood from other breed in their small gene pool. The animals have been proven to have high a carcass quality. They consistently score exceptionally high for preferable carcass genetics, especially in tenderness and marbling due to their minimized back fat.

The species are also resistant and flexible to different environments. Since their origin, they have widely spread and distributed to a variety of production environments. High altitude farmers have embraced them and are yet to report any concern as far as the highland disease is concerned.

Irish blacks have high fertility and productivity. Scrotal circumference in bulls can tell it all, it is large and said to have motile sperm. The range is 92 percent to 98 percent of normal sperm. The very bulls can comfortably service an average of between 92 cows to 98 cows annually. They have a profound display of libido that makes them breeding machines.

On the other hand, the females have an early puberty, with multiple cycles before their initial breeding. They also have a short gestation period that leaves them with enough time to prepare for the next season. The short period enhances smooth calving and reduces uterine infection, which in turn leads to an earlier and more productive heat cycle.

The females also calve quite easily as a result of calf birth weight. Black heifer calves poses on average, a birth weight of about 70 pounds. The animals further have a reputation of calving on their own. Their udders are well suspended, with small teats that enable the newly-self born calves to suckle without delay. A good udder is the most vital factor as far as the survival of the calf is concerned.




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