HF Bull		HF Cattle

Holstein Friesians (often shortened as Friesians in Europe and Holsteins in North America) are a breed of cattle known today as the world's highest-production dairy animals. Originating in Europe, Friesians were bred in what is now the Netherlands and more specifically in the two northern provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Northern Germany, more specifically what is now Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The animals were the regional cattle of the Frisians and the Saxons. The Dutch and German breeders bred and oversaw the development of the breed with the goal of obtaining animals that could best use grass, the area's most abundant resource. Over the centuries, the result was a high-producing, black-and-white dairy cow. It is black and white due to artificial selection by the breeders.

1. Species: Cattle
2. Synonyms: HF, Black & White Cattle
3. Habitat: Countries lying in the temperate zone like UK, USA, Holland, Germany and Canada.
4. Breeding tract: However, the breed is bred only in temperate zones but in India breeding is largely confined to organized herds only whereby standard management and housing conditions are required for dwelling of the cattle. Areas of Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have some private farms dealing with breeding of HF.
5. Main utility: Milk for food, Meat in South Europe only
6. Origin: Europe (Netherlands).
7. Distribution: Europe, North America, South Asia, Japan.

1. Colour: Sharp Black and white
2. Number of Horns : 2 (mostly polled cattle is found).
3. Visible characteristics: Patches of sharp black and white colors, large udder, wedge shaped conformation from rear view, highly developed milk vein.

1. Body Color: All Holsteins are black-and-white. This color pattern always is patchy, with big black, rounded patches over the animal's body.
2. Body Size : Large size well proportionate compact body confirmation. Holsteins are a dairy breed. Dairy cattle are always thinner and more angular than beef cattle. Holsteins, like all dairy breeds, have more angle over the hips, tail-head and shoulders than beef breeds.
3. Head : A Holstein cow's head is quite long. The long nose bridge gives this look, and is quite unmistakable when comparing to other dairy breeds like Jersey
4. Horns : Mostly Holsteins are horned breeds but they are polled early in life.
5. Temperament : Docile and is a distinctive dairy animal.
6. Face : Face is elongated and is clear-cut, gradually tapering into a square.
7. Ears: Ears are of medium size.
8. Dewlap : slight.
9. Udder: Capacious & Pendulous, Massive in size with prominent milk vein.
10. Hump : Absent.
11. Withers: Round

1. Management System: Intensive
2. Mobility: Stationary
3. Feeding of adults: Fodder and Concentrate
4. Housing: Well developed housing for organized herds
5. Feeding system: Stall feeding
6. Feeds to be fed: Berseem, oats and mustard are the green fodder in rabi; and sorghum, pearl millet and cluster bean in kharif. Commercial feed can be fed anytime of the year. . Milking cows are provided supplementry feeding in the form of cotton seed, barley and oil cake. Feed is given in soaked form at the time of milking. Calves are reared on whole milk up to 1 month of age after which some green fodder is also fed. Calves are allowed to suck 1-2 teats up to 6 months of age. The adult cattle is also fed silage for better milk production.
7. Feeding of concentrates: 1kg/2kg milk at the time of milking.
8. Feeding of roughages: 1/10^th of body weight per day.
9. Milking: should be done twice a day, however thrice a day milking gives higher milk yield.
10. Milking practice: Full hand milking should be done. Avoid knuckling. Machine milking is generally practiced.
11. Milk let down time: 4-5 minutes.

• Peculiarity of the breed:
  
  1. The world record for milk production was set by a Holstein cow in 2010 when “Ever-Green-View My 1326-ET”, a cow from Wisconsin, produced 72,170 pounds of milk in a year.
  2. Black and white Holstein cows have claimed Supreme Champion honors, the highest recognition given for elite phenotypic characteristics, at the world’s largest dairy cattle exhibition, the World Dairy Expo (held each fall in Madison, Wis.) 32 times in the past 42 years.
  3. A Holstein's spots are like a fingerprint or a snowflake. No two cows have exactly the same pattern of spots.
• Research highlights:
  
  1. Use of milk production hormone, recombinant bST: A study in February 1999 determined the "response to bST over a 305-day lactation equaled 894 kg of milk, 27 kg of fat, and 31 kg of protein". Monsanto Company estimates a figure of about 1.5 million of 9 million dairy cows are being treated with bST, or about 17% of cows nationally.
  2. Greater use of three-times-per-day milking: In a study performed in Florida between 1984 and 1992 using 4293 Holstein lactation records from eight herds, 48% of cows were milked three times a day. The practice was responsible for extra 17.3% milk, 12.3% fat and 8.8% protein. Three-times-a-day milking has become a common in recent years. Twice-a-day milking is the most common milking schedule of dairy cattle. In Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, milking at 10- to 14-hour intervals is common.

1. Mastitis: Being very high yielding cattle, the risk of mastitis is always present.
2. Calcium Deficiency: The cattle should be supplied with Calcium and Phosphorous supplements to maintain the health of animal.
3. Genital Diseases: The risk of genital diseases like pyometra, metritis, is always present and should be taken care of.
4. Milk Fever due to deficiency of Calcium.
5. Parasitic infestations.