Bestuzhev Cattle

a breed of meat and dairy cattle. Their birthplace was the village of Rep’evka, Novospasskii Raion, Ul’ianov Oblast.

The breed was formed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by crossing local cattle with shorthorn, Holland, Simmenthal, and other breeds. The name comes from the surname of the owners, the Bestuzhevs, who initiated the breeding of these cattle. There are two types of build in Bestuzhev cattle, determined by the animal’s productivity, the beef-dairy and the dairy-beef. The average liveweight of cows of the beef-dairy type is 600–650 kg; of the dairy-beef type, 500–550 kg. Sire bulls registered in the State Breed Book (GPK) average 850 kg and the largest weighs 1,200 kg. The animals are red, often with white marks on the head, chest, and belly. Fertility is 100 percent and more. The average productivity of the dairy-beef type of cow is 3,000–3,200 kg of milk a year, and in progressive farms, up to 5,000 kg. The record milk yield was 10,386 kg. The fat content of the milk is 3.5–5 percent. The cattle mature quickly and feed and fatten well. Up to 60 percent of the breed is slaughtered. Bestuzhev cattle are used as an improving breed in many oblasts of the RSFSR.