Summary
It is estimated that around 30% of UK dairy cows are mated with a beef bull. The resulting crossbred cattle make a significant contribution to UK beef production both directly in dairy beef production and indirectly through the females making up a large proportion of the UK beef herd.
In dairy beef systems continental breed crosses increase total output but take considerably longer to reach slaughter condition. British breed crosses reduce both total output and the time taken to slaughter. Differences in feed efficiency are small. The time taken to slaughter is an important consideration in the UK where beef systems are matched to grass growth.
The medium size British beef breed cross Friesian cow is preferred to the continental cross cow in the UK beef herd, having a higher output of calf weight related to cow weight. Bredd of bull effects in the beef herd are similar to those in dairy beef. Whilst breed differences in feed efficiency in the slaughter animal are small, overall breed differences in efficiency, involving the feed requirements of the suckler cow, favour the continental breed cross.
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© 1982 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Southgate, J.R. (1982). The Current Practice of Commercial Cross-Breeding in the UK with Particular Reference to the Effects of Breed Choice. In: O’Ferrall, G.J.M. (eds) Beef Production from Different Dairy Breeds and Dairy Beef Crosses. Current Topics in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0847-0_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0847-0_23
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