BREEDING OF CATTLE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19578, 26 August 1933, Page 15

BREEDING OF CATTLE

METHODS IN DENMARK ELIMINATING THE SCRUB BULL An Interesting account of cattlebreeding methods In Denmark is contained In a circular Issued this week by Joseph Nathan and Company, Limited, in a review of the dairy prodisee markets. The great majority of Danish herds are small, due to farms being small, says the circular. More than 90 per cent, of Danish dairy herds have less than 15 cows. These herd owners are compelled to use bulls in co-opera-tion with neighbours. For this reason, as soon as the co-operative idea developed in Denmark; a co-operative arrangement was tried out and developed in keeping good bulls for service. There are now more than 1200 cattle breeding societies with more than 30,000 members. These societies and clubs have made it possible for the farmer with even the smallest herd of only two or three cows to have the service of -as good a bull of superior type, pedigree and breeding performance as used by the largest breeder.

These societies have been a prime agency in reducing the total number of bulls used and in reducing the use of scrub and inferior bulls. These societies have always been closely connected with the cattle shows and testing associations, and have been without doubt one of the principal means by which the average production of milk and butter-fat has been more than doubled in Danish dairy cattle in a very few years. It may also be added that all herds in which breeding cattle are raised for sale must be members of a testing association or have their cows under test, as no breeding stock can be sold except from tested ancestry. The breeding societies and bull clubs will only use a bull known as a “figure 4” bull, whose dam has produced at least 88001 b. 4 per cent. milk.

In 1930 there were approximately 1,630,000 cows in milk, of which approximately 40 per cent, were under test in testing associations. This gives 630,000 cows on test. Allowing one calf per cow per year and allowing 50 per cent, of these to be bulls, there would be 315,000 bull calves from tested dams each year.

There are approximately 75,000 bulls over one year in service in Denmark. If a bull is used on the average of four years there would be an estimated bull replacement each year of about 18,000 head. With 315,000 bull calves bom each year from tested dams, the 15 poorest from every 16 could be discarded and still have every breeding bull in Denmark a highly selected bull and from a highly selected and tested dam.

With their present attitude toward testing and the purpose and use of records, the Danish breeders can follow closely all blood lines and quickly spot out those lines and animals that are bringing about improvement and eliminate all others before they are of any detriment to the breed.