Farm Angus
Basic characteristics of the race Angus
Angus is a race of fattened cattle which originated from the polled cattle of the mountain areas of Scotland.
It is characterized by very developed proportions of the front and back parts of the body. The head is small (narrow frontal bone) and there are no horns which makes calving much easier. The neck is short, wide and meaty and the body is long and rounded. The legs are short and the muscles in the femoral area reach all the way to the ankle joint. The body and the hair are red. Today there are other races of angus with different color, where the red and the black one dominate.
The body weight of the adult cows ranges from 550 to 800kg, while fattened bulls can be from 550 to 700kg of weight, whereas some of them can be a lot heavier depending of the length of fattening. The weight of calves after the calving is, in average, around 35kg, where the feature of easy calving is implied. The interval between the calvings is less than a year. The milk production of cows of the race Angus is such that the calf can be fed within the cow-calf system, meaning that the production ranges from 1200 to 1800 liters of milk in 6 months. The calves are vital, they go on pasture with the cows from the age of 4 to 6 months. The cows have an exceptional maternal instinct while raising the young ones.
Another characteristic of this race is the sexual early – maturing. Beside this, the Angus race has an excellent resistance to great temperature differences, which makes it suitable for breeding and fattening in warm and cold areas. The bulls are used in commercial production for crossbreeding with combined and milk races in order to gain calves with have good fattening ability and high quality meat which further makes calving extremely easier. The cows are great for breast-feeding and ideal for cow-calf system and the male calves is fattened and their meat is used. The great advantage of the Angus race is the possibility of good reproduction and fattening features in relatively modest conditions on grass surfaces and minimal hiring of workforce.
Yet another advantage of the fattened races is the great potential for growth and the great utilization of bulky food.
The feeding is mainly based on pastures during the summer period, and during the winter period hay and silage are used.
The production would be more economical if the pasture season would last longer and if the pastures would be denser and of higher quality (natural and artificial). The herd pastures from April to December.
In winter period the cows can be placed into semi opened facilities with or without drainage.
When it comes to Angus’s meat quality, from 100% full weight, 65% is the output whereas 40% is pure high quality meat. The meat contains a high percentage of beta carotene, vitamin B and E, Omega 3 as well as calcium, magnesium and potassium minerals. It has a specific smell and taste.
The race Angus is characterized with a long life; their lifespan is between 15-20 years.
