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21II. Новые биотехнологии
для сельского хозяйства и медицины
For citation: Baldan T. Biological capacity of Mongolian native cattle //
URL: http://rectors.altstu.rU/ru/periodical/archiv/2021/2/articles/2_1.pdf DOI: 10.25712/ASTU.2410-485X.2021.02.005
UDK 631.147 + 636
Biological capacity of Mongolian native cattle
T. Baldan1
1 Mongolian University of Life Science baldan.t@muls.edu.mn
Abstract: Unique biological quality of Mongolian livestock that helps the animal withstand the cold and feed shortage seasons in despite of feeding pasture plants only for all year round is an evidence of its pasture usability. Better growth of hair and wool of hardy Mongolian livestock, which are able to grow under severe natural and climatic conditions, during summer and autumn, and fibers appeared around the hair base during cold season make the animals resistant to cold. Mongolia has a long tradition of raising livestock in the vast territory. This is based on a system of pastoral herding consisting of five kinds of livestock. Mongolians have specific, historical traditions of nomadic ways for pastoral animal breeding. Since ancient times they are bred the five kinds of livestock with unique capabilities, adapted to four seasons grazing under harsh natural and climatic conditions of Central Asian mountainous and used their benefits. Although Mongolian livestock breeds are well adapted to harsh weather conditions, their productivity is not especially high. Animal husbandry is the fundamental source of food consumption and raw materials for the national economy, contributing 20% of the total GDP. Livestock workers make up 34.5% of the total labor force. The livestock sector is responsible for 90% of total agricultural production and comprises 12.5% of all exports. Currently, Mongolia has: 2 breeds and 2 strains of horses, 4 breeds of camel, 3 breeds and 1 breeding group of cattle, 13 breeds, 3 breed groups and 3 breeding races and 3 strains of sheep and 7 breeds, 4 strains of goats forming genetic resources of Mongolian livestock. The main products of the livestock sector are meat, milk, wool, cashmere and hides. Due to the harsh climatic conditions of Mongolian livestock, their wools grow well in the summer and autumn, and during the cold season, cashmere is covered with cashmere and they are resistant to cold. Mongolians have specific historical traditions of managing nomadic husbandry of five types of livestock populations, which are adapted to all year round grazing under severe natural and climatic conditions of Central Asian plateau, growing and breeding of wealth producing livestock populations and utilizing their animal products since ancient times.
Keywords: Mongolian cattle, yak, biological characteristica
Mongolian livestock are the animals, which withstand very well the fluctuations of both heat and cold, have better maintenance of body heat and ecological adaptation, stronger body conformation, resist various diseases, and have alive behavior, better sociability and genetic capacity.
Mongolian breed cattle
Моngolian cattle are native cattle populations created under harsh climatic and natural conditions of Central Asia. Due to lack of specialzed breeding of native Mongolian cattle with certain productivity purposes since anceint times, ther is historical tradition that this cattle is used for multipurposes including beef and milk production, packing and draft.
Because our nomadic herder people rear Mongolian cattle on open pastures all year round, the cattle smaller body and slower growth rate, but it is a hardy animal with good adaptation capacity to severe natural and climatic conditions.
Mongolian cattle has good endurance adapted to various natural and climatic regions and uses excelently the natural pastures, and therefore during autumn season mature and immature cattle are capable of fattening by 30 to 50% and 60 to 80% increase of spring weights respectively. Greater fat deposition in the body of Mongolian cattle during summer and autumn becomes energy sources for overcoming harsh climatic conditions.
Mongolian cattle has curved horns, distance between which is shorter, short and thick neck, well developed brisket, lower withers, wide chest, straight back, sloppy and narrow croup and hind limb gait is sometimes closer between hocks. Dominating coat colors of native Mongolian cattle are brown and dark brown and yaks are mostly darker and black and white (75%), but grey, dapped gray, blue and white coats are also common.
Location, distribution
Depending on natural, geographic and ecological conditions of our country, distributions rates of cattle in high mountainous, forest steppe, steppe, Great lakes Valley, Altai and govi regions are 27.6%, 25.2%, 28.8%, 12.5% and 5.0% respectively. With aimags, more than half of the total cattle populations are bred in five aimags including Khuvsgul, Arkhangai, Bulgan, khentii and Tuv.
Estrus cycle length of Mongolian cattle is 19 to 24 days or 21 days in average, pre-heat lasts 46.5 hours, standing heat 23.6 hours and ova sheds at hours 24 to 27 after the onset of standing heat.
Milk production
Main areas of cattle breeding are Arkhangai, Khuvsgul, Bulgan, Selenge, Khentii, Tuv and Dornodaimags in forest steppe region of our country. More than 50% of total cattle populations of our country are in above aimags and these aimags are now leading with total number of cattle populations and the numbers of cattle per 100 ha agricultural land. Percentage of cattle populations among total livestock populations is 16.8% in these aimags, while average percent in the country and gobiaimags is 8.3% and 1.3 to 3.5% respectively. Mongolian breed cattle calves from March through May, its lactation lasts from June through July becoming dry when pasture plant nutrition values drops. Milk yield of Mongolian cattle ranges between 600 and 700 liters under normal conditions, while milk from 1000 to 1500 liters can be taken under good conditions of dairy cattle care and feeding.
Table 1.
Productive parameters
Age and sex Live weight, kg Milk productivity
Milk amount, l Fat, %
Bull 325-396 — —
Cow 273-315 315 4.3
Meat productivity
Mongolian cattle hair grows in cold seasons and shed in spring. Pasture usability of cattle is better. Mongolian native cattle loss about 20 to 25% of its own live weight during winter and spring, but a feature is that cattle can fully regain the lost weight from pasture during summer and autumn.
have been breeding in Selengesoum of
Selenge beef cattle breed
Location and distribution
Selenge beef cattlenuclear herd Bulganaimag, Orkhontuul and Altanbulagsoums of Selengeaimag by pure breed method. The nuclear herd of Selenge beef cattle mainly bred in Selengesoum of Bulganprovince. In 1986, approximately 10200 head of cows and bull were sold for other beef cattle's breeding farm. These pure breed and crossbreed cattle number reached to 42000 head, in 1986. And the number of suitable nuclear herd was raise to 18000 head.
Method for creation of the population
Purebred bulls of Kazakh white headed beef cattle were used in grading-up on local Mongolian cows, continuous selective breeding then being practiced among
superior crossbreds for II and III generation while the crossbred cattle of desirable type were bred within them.
After the long research on breeding between these two breeds, Selengebeef cattle breed created, most suitable for Mongolian harsh climate and officially approved in 1984.
Biological characteristics
The Selenge beef cattle have inherited of Mongolian native cattle's resistant body, offspring trait goodness and pastoral using capacity and Kazakh white head cattle's higher body weight, growth potential with color, exterior, body condition.
Advantage of Selenge beef cattle is integration of endurance and ability to use pasture grasses for Mongolian native cattle with increased body weight and growth potential for Kazakh white headed beef.
The breed has good beef conformation with well developedsimilar to specialized beef cattle and well adapted for forest-stepper zone, pastoral using capacity higher and low reduced body weight in winter, spring and with goodness for colder resistant because thick skin, thick-haired covering.
These breed beef cattle's dominant coat colors are white headed with red brown, red and grey colors on main body parts, tail end-white and shorter-fleshlier body.
Productivity
Selenge breed calves birth weight is 24.0-25.0kg, 6 month old calf-160-180kg and one year old heifer 250-270kg, 2-2.5 years old castrated male-350-380kg, adult cows 450-500kg.Mongolian native beef cattle'syield carcass is 53-58 percent and with good sweet and rib-eye mramernost.
Table 2.
Productive parameters
age, sex body weight, kg milking quality
milk, liter fat, %
bull 625-700 — —
cow 430-480 1200-1800 3.8-4.2
Dornod-mongolian red breed
Location and distribution
Dornod-mongolian red breed beef cattle nuclear flock is bred in Khalkhgolsoumof Dornod province and Tumentsogtsoum of Sukhbaataraimag, using by pure breed method.
Method for creation ofpopulation
The beef type cattle was developed "within them" by traditional straight breeding with intervention of scientific approach within the local cattle populations in the some areas of Dornod and Sukhbaatar provinces.
Biological characteristics
Dornod-mongolian red breed cattle fatten during summer and autumn seasons, whereas they gradually loss their body weight in winter and spring. Body weights for 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 years age heifer, cows are 263kg, 307kg and 355 kg respectively, due to similar management system like local Mongolian cattle. These figures are higher by 50-60kg than that for Mongolian ones of similar age and sex under year round pastoral herding. Majority of cattle are polled with black and reddish in coat co
Table 3.
Milk productivity
Age, sex bodyweight, kg milk yield
Output, liter fat, %
bull 500-550 — —
cow 350-380 300-400 3.8-5.2
Table 4. Meat product
Age, sex Before killing weight, kg Carcass weight, kg Fat, kg Carcass yield, %
Adult cattle 462.0 243.0 28.0 56.9
3 years old 368.0 182.0 25.2 54.5
2 year old 326.0 163.0 21.0 54.6
Mongolian local yak
Location and distribution
Mongolian local yak have been breeding in high mountainous area of Arkhangai, Khuvsugul, Bayankhongor, Uvurkhangai, Zavkhan, Gobi-Altai, Khovd, Bayan-Ulgiiprovences. Yak and Khainag (hybrid of Yak and Mongolian native cattle) occurred 25% of total Mongolian cattle. Yak bred in mountainous area with 2000 meter above sea level of Mongolia, Tuvd, Balba of India and Gorno-Altai of Russia, Kyrgyz Republic.
Biological characteristics
Mongolian native yak is one of the most distinctive populations and well adapted in the taiga area of grassland and high mountain ranges in Central Asia, Mongolia.
The yaks have unique biological peculiarity to withstand with naturally and climatically severe harsh conditions. They can walk easy on any mountainous obstacles such as rapid ascent, downhill, steep slope and looserock, rocky and use sparse bush, grasses, woody shrubs and thorns. The yak has long, coarse hair all over
its body especially on shoulder, hip and belly acting as insulation when lying in cold and snow covered places. Main characteristics of Mongolian local yaks is that they are completely adapted to the Central Asian mountainous nature, harsh climate. Yaks can survive, go fast on. They have a long bushy tail and an extremely long hair from belly to ankle. Long, thick hair protects them from cold and heat as well as providing insulation when lying in cold and snowy places. In addition, the animal grows dense undercoat for cold protection.
Yak and khainag's milk, meat used for food and skin, fiber is raw material to industry. And they are used for nomadic transport, riding. The Mongoliankhainag has biggest body, chest bigger, body longer, short lag, with precipitous and rampage. Mainly yak populations have polled the 75-85% of total yaks. Dominant color yak is 63.2 percent is black, dark, black brown and 15.2%-blue and 12.4%-white and light white color. Features of loses body weight of yak depends on it age, sex and continental climatic. Adult yak cow reduced the 17.5% of autumn body weight. And hybrid of yak x Mongolian cattle (khainag) loses 8.2%, II generation of hybrid is 21.5%, Mongolian native cattle-25.1 percent of autumn body weight in same time.
Carcass yield of adult castrated yak is 52.2 percent and the fat of the yak meat will be less accumulatedto the muscles and meat fat is higher accumulated in internal organ.Yak meat is in rich of myoglobulin which can oxidize in the air. Therefore, yak meat becomes as deep red. Yak fat is bright yellow due to in rich in carotene that is the main source of Vitamin A. The meat is very lean and low in fat. It shows that yak meat has an appropriate meat and fat ratio and is rich in protein and vitamins. Yak meat is valued like beef for consumption and trade.
A yak is a robust animal with a large, deep chest and 14-15 ribs. Yaks have a short body; the ratio between length and height is about 110-115%. The yak has more one or two ribs than comparisons to native cattle and chest body is large, long deep and higher of chestcapacity, so their lungs and heart development are good. These is due to the fact that high mountain spheres are richer by oxygen air and have a natural barrier, steep slope and the development of cardiovascular, respiratory, bone and axis bones yak.
Mongolian local yak has poll, distance between which is shorter, short and thick neck, well developed brisket, withers higher, lower withers, deep chest, straight back, diagonal body-short, sloppy and narrow croup and hind limb gait is sometimes closer between hocks, end body mostly slim.
Although very sensitive to warm temperatures, yaks can easily tolerate the cold season. Long hair and thick skin are adapted to regulating body temperature. Yak hair
is much longer and shaggier than Mongolian cattle, and the hair varies in length on different parts of the body.
They have a long bushy tail, and extremely long hair from belly to ankle which is called "savga". The main body has shaggy hair with cashmere. Long, thick hair protects them from cold and heat as well as providing insulation when lying in cold and snowy places. The skin is comparatively thick with few sweat glands.
Their ability to regulate body temperature is very weak; therefore they combat the heat by panting like a dog on hot days. Traditionally, our ancestors avoided using yaks to pull carts because the harness would cause problems in breathing.
Yaks are tall in appearance; the backbone is hooped with wide hips due to the spinal vertebrae being long and erect. These characteristics prove that yaks are a mountain animal suitable for carriage without shaking. Therefore, nomads use yaks to carry their children in a pannier on the back.
Table 5.
Productivity
Age, sex body milk quality
weight, kg Output, liter fat, %
yak bull 400-450 — —
yak cow 270-280 280-320 7.2-12.0
Calving mostly occurs between March and June. Milk production depends on the lactation period. Yak cow's milk production average year is 563-738 liter; milk fat rate is 6.7-8.9%, protein — 5.31%, dry matter — 18.71%, 5.2% lactose. At the end of the lactation period, around September, the milk becomes creamier and fat reaches 912 percent. Yak milk suitable is making for dry milk product by traditional method. Mongolian local yak's milk consist bigger dry matter, fat, protein, lactose than comparison to other breed cows because it is making product is very important product.
Table 6.
Mineral component of yak, khainag and Mongolian native cows
type Ash, % calcium, (Ca) mg/% phosphor (P), mg /%
Yak 0.89 130.6 106.22
khainag (hybrid) 0.93 134.0 134.82
Mongol cow 0.88 124.91 97.82
Yak and khainag's milk are suitable for making product cheese, yogurt, dry yogurt, curdsbecause, these milk is biggest by protein and its protein is a good coagulated and casein.
Reference
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2. Gonchig D. Mongolian native cattle. 1986.
3. Navaanchimed M. Intensive raising technology for young beef cattle. 1976.
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