Charolais Cross Calves

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31167, 17 September 1966, Page 10

Charolais Cross Calves

The first Charolais cross calves have now been born at Lincoln ('oDege.

Mr M. G. Hoilard, senior lecturer in animal science at the college, said this week the calves out of Friesian cows were of the typical buff colour expected from this cross and their birth weights confirmed the visual impression that they were indeed big calves weighing about 951 b at birth compared with about 85 to 901 b for the straight Friesian and about 80ib for the Jersey Friesian. Traditionally, he said, the straight Charolais was known for calving difficulties, no doubt on account of the large size of the calf, and also for slowness in learning to drink from a bucket or “calfeteria,” and this traditional impression had been confirmed by the very limited experience at Lincoln so far. Mr Hollard said that the basic plan at Ruakura agricultural centre, Massey University of Manawatu, and Lincoln College was to compare Charolais cross calves with calves of breeds which were present in New Zealand already. At Lincoln the comparison to be made would be between a Charolais Friesian cross, a straight Friesian, a Jersey Friesian cross, a straight Jersey and calves of straight Hereford and

straight Aberdeen Angus breeding which would be bought in at weaning. The programme involved a comparison between these breeds and crosses in regard to growth rate and carcase charactertistics on slaughter. All animals would be slaughtered at 18 months of age having been reared on grass with a hay supplement as required. The Charolais breed was one of the few breeds which had been developed purely for beef purposes, he continued. In • fact selection for beef characteristics in the Charolais had reputedly been carried on since 1775. It was also believed that in the early development of the Charolais white Beef Shorthorn bulls had been used to a limited extent to improve carcase quality. The Charolais had developed to the stage where it was the supreme beef breed of France. It was characterised by fast growth rate but very late development and had a high efficiency of conversion of feed to lean meat.

The current interest in the Charolais in many countries in the world was in using Charolais sires over dairy breeds, which were not highly regarded for beef purposes, in an endeavour to improve the quality and yield of meat obtained from them.

More Important There was no doubt, whatever, for crossing purposes the Charolais would have a more important role to play when crossed with breeds such as the Jersey and Ayrshire, but it was unlikely that a spectacular improvement in either growth rate or yield of lean meat would be obtained from the Charolais Friesian cross as compared with a straight FriesianRecent work in England that indicated that the Charolais Friesian was likely to be superior to the straight Friesian in growth rate and yield of lean meat to the extent of no more than 5 per cent. These results had been obtained when the Charolais cross and the straight Friesian animals were reared and finished under grain feeding conditions.

The main interest at Lincoln would be to see whether the superiority of the Charo-lais-Friesian cross over the straight Friesian would be maintained under pastoral farming conditions. In this connexion it was worth remarking that in France, where the Charolais was so highly regarded for beef, that the feed supply for the fattening animals was based largely on grain. The Jerseys and JerseyFriesian cross animals were being included in the experiment at Lincoln because of the interest in the relative performance of these animals remembering the large number of Jersey cattle there were in New Zealand. First Born

Mr Hollard said that the first of the Charolais crosses, together with the other breeds and crosses to be included in the trial, had already been born at Lincoln and the remaining animals for the experiments were expected to be born over the nex-t six to eight weeks. -Mr Hollard said it was anticipated that a further importation of Charolais semen would be made into New Zealand and the current programme would be repeated this time next year, when the only addition would be that a Polled Hereford Friesian would be added to the experiment.

At present on the research farm at the college Mr Hollard said that there was a group of yearling steers of the straight Friesian, Polled Hereford Friesian cross, straight Hereford, and straight Aberdeen Angus breeds. They were part of a programme initiated last spring and they were being weighed regularly to check on growth rate and would be slaughtered next autumn when a carcase appraisal and comparison would be made. In the photograph above taken at Lincoln, a Charolais Friesian cross calf is nearest the camera, then a Friesian and on the right a Jersey \Friesian cross.