Black and White Cattle

a breed of dairy cattle confirmed in 1959. Differences in the local parent stock, natural conditions, and the level of pedigree work have led to the development of features unique to the particular region where the cattle are raised.

In the central regions of the RSFSR the breed was developed in the late 19th century by crossing local Great Russian cattle and their crossbreeds with Ostfriesian, Swedish Black and White, and Holstein-Friesian breeds. The resulting cattle are larger than the parent stock. The bulls weigh as much as 1,000 kg, and cows 550–650 kg. The highest milk yields average about 4,000 kg (record yields to 12,000 kg). The fat content of the milk is 3.5–3.6 percent.

The Urals Black and White breed was developed in 1936–37 by crossing the Tagil breed with Ostfriesian and Baltic Black and White cattle. The bulls weigh 900–950 kg, the cows 500–600 kg. The average milk yield is 3,700–3,800 kg, with a record yield of 17,517 kg. The fat content of the milk is 3.7–3.8 percent. The Siberian Black and White cattle was developed in 1929–30 by crossing local Siberian cattle with Ostfriesian and Holstein-Friesian breeds. The bulls weigh 850–900 kg, and the cows 450–500 kg. The average milk yield is about 3,500 kg; the fat content is 3.7–3.8 percent.

The meat of Black and White cattle is of satisfactory quality. With intensive fattening, the young weigh 500–550 kg by 18 months of age. The Black and White breed is one of the most common cattle breeds in the USSR. It is raised in the central and northwestern regions of the RSFSR, in the Urals, and in Western Siberia, as well as in certain regions in Eastern Siberia, the Ukrainian SSR, the Byelorussian SSR, and the Uzbek SSR.