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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    Table 178. - Average climatic data for Aubrac cattle Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Temperature (°C) 2.2 3.3 5.7 8.6 12.6 16.0 18.5 18.3 15.5 15.5 10.9 2.5 Relative humid ity (%) 81 79 73 67 63 67 62 64 69 75 81 88 Precipitation (mm) 62 66 66 100 101 111 73 87 81 82 91 80 Source: Weather Bureau records at Rodez, 1870-1914. Feeding and management This breed is housed during five of the winter months and, during this stall-feeding period, they are fed hays and straws, sup plemented with rye meal and oilcakes. In the spring, as soon as the temperature and condition of the pastures permit, the animals are turned out to graze. Around 25 May, they are moved some 30 to 50 kilometers to the high plateau areas, where they graze until 13 October when, weather permitting, they are brought down to the cultivated fields near the homesteads to graze on the stubble and aftermath. Physical characters Aubrac cattle are of medium size with a lightly pigmented skin which is rather tight. The medium-length hairs are of average texture. The muzzle and mucous membranes are black and any departure from this color indicates lack of purity in breeding. The coat color ranges from light yellow to brown and is darker on the shoulders and rump — a trait more apparent in males than females. The switch, the surrounds of the eyes, the mane and the insides of the ears are also dark in color. Around the muzzle, along the belly and on the lower parts of the limbs, the coat color is lighter in tone than on the rest of the body. The animals are active and thickset, with a short, broad head, straight in the profile, wide at the muzzle and with a fairly flat broad forehead. The horns are of medium length, light colored, except at the dark extremities, and grow sideways from the poll but with their tips turned upward. The chest is deep and the sides have well-rounded ribs. The topline is fairly level but sometimes shows rather prominent withers and hips. The hips are broad and nicely