Belgian Blue

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The Belgian Blue (French: 'Blanc-Bleu Belge' , Dutch: 'Belgisch Witblauw' ) is a type of beef cattle from Belgium. It can also be known as Ras de la Moyenne et Haute Belgique . Alternative names for this type include Belgian Blue-White; Belgian White and Blue Pied; Belgian Blue Belgium; Blue; and Blue Belgian. The muscular, ultra-muscular muscle that is very slim, hiper-physical of the Belgian Blue is called "double muscle". The double muscular phenotype is an inherited condition that results in an increase in the number of muscle fibers (hyperplasia), rather than the normal enlargement of individual muscle fibers (hypertrophy).

This particular property is shared with other types of livestock known as Piedmontese. Both breeds have an increased ability to convert the diet into lean muscle, which causes the meat of this particular breed to have a reduced fat content and reduce softness. The Belgian Blue is named after the color of the strip that is usually grayish blue, but the color can vary from white to black.

Video Belgian Blue

Histori

This condition was first documented in 1808 by animal observer George Culley. This breed originated from central and upper Belgium in the 19th century, from breeding local breeds to Shorthorn beef breeds from England. ^{: 256} Charolais animals may also be castrated, too. ^{: 256} The Belgian Blue Cow was first used as a dairy cow and cow. A modern cow breed was developed in 1950 by Professor Hanset, working at an artificial insemination center in Liege province. The gene mutation of the breed characteristic genes is maintained through linebreeding to the point where the condition is a fixed property in Belgian Blue descent. In 1978, Belgian Blue Cow was introduced to the United States by Nick Tutt, a middle-aged Canadian farmer who immigrated to West Texas and demonstrated cattle to universities in the region.

Maps Belgian Blue

Characteristic characteristics

The Belgian Blue has a natural mutation in the myostatin gene that encodes proteins, myostatin ("myo" meaning muscle and "statin" meaning stop). Myostatin is a protein that inhibits muscle development. This mutation also interferes with fat buildup, resulting in very lean meat. Cut myostatin genes can not function in normal capacity, thus accelerating the growth of lean muscle. Muscle growth is mainly due to physiological changes in the muscle cells of animals (fiber) from hypertrophy to hyperplastic growth mode. This particular type of growth is seen early in the fetus of a pregnant dam, which results in calves being born with twice the number of muscle fibers at birth rather than calves without myostatin gene mutations. In addition, the birth weight of newborn muscular double calves is significantly greater than that of normal calves.

The Belgian Blue Cow has improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) due to a lower feed intake compared with weight gain due to changes in body weight composition including increased protein and decreased fat accumulation. Belgian bone structure Blue is the same as normal cattle, although it has a larger amount of muscle, which causes them to have a larger bone-to-bone ratio. These cows have muscle yields about 20% more than the average cow without genetic myostatin mutation. As the results of this breed muscle increase, a diet containing a higher protein is needed to keep pace with weight changes. During finishing, this breed requires high-energy (concentrated) feed, and will not produce the same results when using a high-fiber diet.

The value of multiple muscular breeds is due to their superior carcass characteristics. However, with a decrease in fat content is a decrease in marbling of meat, which means the softness of the meat is reduced. In contrast, the tenderness of Belgian Blue meat has been debated to be just as tender because a large number of smaller muscle fibers are present.

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Breeds issue

Double muscular cows may experience dystocia (difficult births), even when cultured for normal bulls or dairy cows, due to the narrower birth canal. : 256 In addition to diminished pelvic dimensions in the stomach, the weight and width of calves birth also increases, resulting in more difficult delivery. Neonatal calves are so large that cesarean section is routinely scheduled for breeders. ^{: 256} Weight and weight of testes and semen quantity have been observed as decreasing, but this appears to be less of a problem when compared to the difficulties of dams in childbirth.

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Economic efficiency

The breeding and maintenance economics of Blue Belgian cattle can not be inferred because of the complications experienced during the birth process and the metabolic demand for concentrated feeding increases. The need for increased breeds to obtain a caesarean section during childbirth means increasing costs and adding jobs, and can become a welfare issue. However, the value of double-muscle carcasses can be increased due to improved make-up, lean carcass content, and increased cuts leading to higher proportion of higher-value pieces. The slower rate of fat deposition causes slaughter to be delayed in many cases, which means increased maintenance costs for these animals. The Belgian Blue Cow requires more skillful management and does not develop in harsh environments. For these and other reasons, the overall production efficiency of the breed in the economic sense is still unclear.

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References

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External links

• The Belgian Blue Herdbook

Source of the article : Wikipedia