Duration of use of cattle from the autochthonous Rhodope Shorthorn breed and the impact of administrative decisions on it
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61308/HTYV9364Keywords:
cattle, indigenous breed, duration of useAbstract
The duration of use of cows from the autochthonous, primitive breed Rhodope Shorthorn Cattle (RSC), raised in small individual farms (from 2001 to 2025), and the age structure of the population during the period 2014 - 2025 were studied. It was established that RSC has a long productive lifespan. In cows from historically established farms included in the breed herdbook until 2006 (n = 97), the average duration of productive use of animals culled due to natural causes in individual farms ranged from 15.5 to 17.4 years. From 25 to 30% of cows are used until they are twenty years old or older. Administrative measures taken by the state to limit subsidies for older animals had a negative impact on the duration of use only during the initial years of their implementation. After the formation of the main nucleus of the controlled part of the breed (2013), during the period 2022 - 2025, compared to 2014 - 2017, the average generation interval in cows increased by 18.4% (from 6.77 to 8.01 years), and in bulls by 48.6% (from 4.53 to 6.74 years). The reason is the inclusion of a smaller number of young animals in breeding, as well as the extension of the period of use. The relative share of cows over 5 years of age at the beginning (2014 - 2017), middle (2018 - 2021), and end (2022 - 2025) of the study period was 37.3%, 44.9%, and 60.6%, respectively, while the proportion of cows over 10 years of age was 15.3%, 17.8%, and 26.5%, respectively. For male animals, in the same periods, the corresponding values were 46.8%, 52.2%, and 40.6% for bulls over 5 years of age, and 4.2%, 7.5%, and 15.5% for bulls over 10 years of age. The relative share of cows aged 20 years and older was up to 1.1%. The reason lies in the consolidation and commercialization of herds under selection control, compared with their earlier rearing as only a few animals per household in individual farms during the initial years.
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