Volume 1

European breeds of cattle / prepared by M.H. French ; in association with I. Johansson [and others].

  • French, M. H.
Date:
1966
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: European breeds of cattle / prepared by M.H. French ; in association with I. Johansson [and others]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Feeding and management Whereas some herds spend the summer grazing on the mountain pastures, others are kept in stables during the night but graze on pastures in the daytime. During the winter, the animals are yarded or live indoors and feeding conditions are very varied to make the maximum use of home-grown fodder and feeds. Physical characters The Gascony breed is gray in color and the hide is covered with soft hair of medium length. The skin is of medium thickness, loose to handle, and is darkly pigmented. This breed has an evenly balanced body with a straight upper line. The skeletal framework is strongly built and the bones are thick. The body is low-set on short legs and the muscular tissues are satisfactorily developed and distributed. Average liveweights and body measurements are sum marized in Table 169. Table 169. - Some average liveweights and body measurements of mature Gascony cattle Bulls Cows Oxen Liveweight (kg) 800 600 800 Body length (cm) 125-140 120 145-153 Functional characteristics Work has been the primary function of the Gascony breed, with beef as a subsidiary production. Heifers normally calve for the first time when 3 years old and the male offspring average 35 kilograms at birth while females weigh 32 kilograms. Bulls are put to service when a year old and may have an active breeding life of up to 10 years. They are quick in service. The breed is not a milk-producing animal of any significance and no data are available on lactation records. The animals have a good ability for fattening in yards but, because of their conditions of management and feeding, they are usually slaughtered between 6 to 9 years of age. Carcase percentage yield varies from 42 to 52 percent depending on the condition of the animals slaughtered. Gascony cattle are first put to work when 3 years old or weighing approximately 400 kilograms. They are active, even-tempered,