engleski

Possibilities of breeding polled cattle in Croatia and Serbia

In today's modern production, horned cows may represent a specific security risk. It refers to causing injuries to cattle’s own body, or to other cows in its environment. Horned cows can be also dangerous for workers on a farm. If taking into account the animals’ wellbeing that is recently emphasized as important, then it can be clearly understood that it is easier and safer to breed polled cattle than horned ones. The aim of this paper is to point out certain advantages of breeding polled cattle and how those advantages can be utilized in terms of increasing profit of milk producers in Croatia and Serbia. This possibility presupposes some genetic background, which is naturally inherited. It is scientifically confirmed that the offspring of both horned parents (homozygous) will be also horned. However, in some other combinations of parents (heterozygous), different occurrences in the offspring are possible. There are many advantages found in breeding of polled cattle, such as higher selling price, fewer abortions and injuries of skin and body, easier transport, more peaceful behavior of animals in a group, etc. It is also important to point out that selection procedures managed so far to counterbalance milk production between polled and horned cattle. Experts share this idea with positive expectations and believe that breeding of polled cattle in Croatia and Serbia will certainly expand in the coming years. Polled cattle breeding in developed Western countries is well advancing, which can be taken as an example. Possibilities of breeding polled cattle should be facilitated through development of appropriate breeding programs for all interested producers.

polled cattle ; advantages of breeding ; Croatia ; Serbia

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