Joomla! site syndication http://maine-anjoubeef.com.au/cms 2010-09-06T08:02:50+01:00 http://maine-anjoubeef.com.au/cms http://maine-anjoubeef.com.au/cms/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png text/html 2007-12-16T01:00:00+01:00 http://maine-anjoubeef.com.au/cms http://maine-anjoubeef.com.au/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=59 FB.init("d663f7640cb03133dd6e389f7ad2aa02");Maine-Anjou Beef Australia (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crowlands-Australia/Maine-Anjou-Beef-Australia/134975144830) on Facebook In the north-western parts of France in 1839 a large red and white hardy breed of cattle named the Mancelle was crossed with the English Durham. The cross became very popular and in 1909 the Marcel-Durham became the Maine-Anjou. The excellent feed efficiency, fast growth rates and large milking capacity meant Maine-Anjou could be used for both milk and beef production even on small farms. In parts of France it is not uncommon to see Maine-Anjou cattle being milked on dairy farms today. Australia was first introduced to Maine-Anjou cattle in 1973, the skin pigmentation, great doing ability and ease of calving make Maine-Anjou an ideal breed for our harsh conditions. Maine-Anjou cattle can be horned, scurred or polled. The coat is mostly red with white under the belly a white star on the face, white on the legs and end of tail; they can also be black. Here in Australia, females weigh between 700 kg and 1000kg, bulls between 900 kg and 1300 kg. This breed is found in many countries: Canada, USA, the Russian Federation, Argentina, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Maine-Anjou cattle are-- Docile breed.- Hardy breed: in hard times it makes good use of available feed.- Very early sexual maturity: this breed can calve at a young age, from 24 months.- Excellent for cross breeding with any other breed of cattle, as they typically have small calves, with rapid growth, which makes excellent vealers with improved returns $$$$. -An efficient breed: excellent milk production means it dominates French breeds for the weight at weaning of its progeny- Heavy breed: has the highest carcass weights, gives great value to cull cows or heifers. © Brad Mc Neill 2009