The Kazakh Whiteheaded cattle are a beef cattle breed from Kazakhstan and Russia. It is raised mainly for meat production, and the breed was developed between 1930 and 1950 on the state farms in the Kazakh republic and the Lower Volga.
The breed was developed by crossing Hereford cattle with local Kazakh and Kalmyk cattle. The crosses, mainly 1st and 2nd backcrosses resulted animals with very good beef quality.
Actually the aim of the crosses was to create a quality beef breed and the work was completed in 1950. Currently the breed is mainly distributed Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Russia.
Total population of the Kazakh Whiteheaded cattle breed in Kazakhstan was estimated at 1,334,000 in 1990. Read some more information about the breed below.
Kazakh Whiteheaded Cattle Characteristics
Kazakh Whiteheaded cattle are medium to large animals, and they resemble the Hereford in color and conformation while incorporating the hardiness of the local cattle breeds.
They have a compact conformation with a deep and wide chest, wide rounded body, a light strong skeleton and well-developed muscles. The animals develop thick and long hair cover in winter season.
Kazakh Whiteheaded cattle are mainly red in color with various shades. And the head, lower legs, lower abdomen, dewlap and the switch are of white color. Both bulls and cows usually have horns.
Average height of the cows is about 124 cm at the wither, and about 133 cm for bulls. Average live body weight of the bulls vary from 800 to 1000 kg. And the cows on average weight between 500 and 700 kg. Info from FAO and Wikipedia.
Uses
The Kazakh Whiteheaded cattle are mainly used for meat production. But the cows are good for producing milk. The bulls are also used for improving the local cattle breeds in some areas of Siberia and the Far East, as well as for crossing with other breeds.
Special Notes
Most valuable features of the Kazakh Whiteheaded cattle breed are their ability to tolerate both hot and cold weather, to fatten faster and to have high weight gains.
They are noted for their very good beef qualities. They are good grazers and grow well on grazing without additional feeding. The cows are pretty good milkers.
On average a cow can produce about 1200-1500 kg milk per lactation (some cows can produce more). And their milk contain about 3.8 to 4 percent fat content. Review full breed profile of this breed in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Kazakh Whiteheaded | |
| Other Name | Russian: Kaзaxcкaя бeлoгoлoвaя, Kazakhskaya Belogolovaya | |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly meat, also milk | |
| Special Notes | Well adapted to both hot and cold weather, fast growers, good quality beef, pretty good milkers | |
| Breed Size | Medium | |
| Bulls | 800-1000 kg | |
| Cows | 500-700 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | All climates | |
| Coat Color | Red with various shades | |
| Horned | Yes | |
| Milk Yield | Good | |
| Rarity | Common |
