Friesian Cross Shows Promise

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31380, 27 May 1967, Page 8

Friesian Cross Shows Promise

Trials at Ruakura agricultural research centre near Hamilton and also on farms in association with the centre in which the performance of calves out of Jersey cows by Charolais, Hereford and Friesian bulls are being studied show up the Friesian-Jersey cross in a very favourable light at this stage. “At this early stage the Charolais - Jersey cross although growing faster than the Hereford-Jersey cross on the average, will need to grow very fast indeed from now on to achieve an equal carcase weight at, say, 20 months, to the Friesian-Jersey cross,” said Dr. G. C. Everitt, principal scientific officer at the Ruakura agricultural research centre, speaking to the Lincoln farmers’ conference last week.

The two tables which follow tell the story. In the case of the Ruakura centre trials, with which the first table deals, the calves include steers and heifers except in the case of the Frieslans, which are steers only. All of the calves were reared on the bucket and weaned at 1401 b weight The second table gives results with steer and heifer calves on 23 dairy farms and 19 sheep farms. The calves were wearned on average at 74 days and transfered from dairy to sheep 1 farms at an average age of 106 days. The average age of these calves in February was 184 days.

Dr. Everitt was questioned at the conference about calving difficulties with the Charolais cross calves. “We have followed the calving performance of the crosses,” he commented. “It is fair to say that of 2000 or so records that we collected last year there was no indication that the Charolais-Jersey cross calves caused any more trouble at calving compared with. . . . There are certain animals in the breed that are double muscled and these cause trouble in calving.” To another question he said that they had not thought at this stage of using Santa Gertrudis or Brahman cattle. So far as yields of meat from different breeds was concerned the tote maturing breeds would have more lean meat in the carcase. In the Friesian and Charolais they had relatively late maturing animals.