Xuanhan Yellow Cattle

Xuanhan Yellow Cattle

　　①Distribution: Xuanhan Yellow Cattle are primarily raised in counties such as Xuanhan and Tongjiang located on the southern side of the Daba Mountains in the Daxian region. According to statistics from 1981, there were 381,120 Xuanhan Yellow Cattle distributed across counties including Daxian, Kaijiang, Wanyuan, Nanjiang, Bazhong, Pingchang, Kaixian, and Chengkou, as well as the Baisha Industrial-Agricultural Zone.

　　②Physical Characteristics: The body of the Xuanhan Yellow Cattle is fine and compact. The head is straight, and the face is flat. Bulls have relatively broad and robust heads, while cows have more delicate heads. Their horns are fine and tightly structured, with a variety of shapes, but the most common is the “Zhaoyang horn,” which curves upward and forward. The neck is of moderate length with good integration between the neck and shoulders, and the dewlap is well-developed. The necks of cows tend to be slightly longer and slimmer. The forequarters are well-developed (chest girth index: bulls 135.6, cows 135.8), with deep chests, and bulls have prominent shoulder humps. The midsection is shorter, strong and compact (body length index: bulls 109.6, cows 109.5); the back and loin are straight, and the belly is round and large without sagging. The rump is longer, slightly sloping, and a bit pointed. The skeleton is fine and sturdy, and the limbs are long and slender (limb length index: bulls 53.4, cows 49.2), with correct limb posture and steady gait. The hooves are tightly forked, solid in texture, mostly iron-gray in color. The hide is thin and elastic, with sparse, short, and fine hair. The coat colors are diverse; according to a survey of 1,075 cattle, 63.0% are yellow, 7.3% brown, 9.4% black, 14.5% black-yellow, and 5.8% other colors. Xuanhan Yellow Cattle are of relatively large build—adult bulls weigh an average of 327.2±10.0 kg, adult cows 271.0±2.99 kg, and castrated bulls 369.9±7.28 kg.

　　③Production Performance:

　　(I) Draught Performance: Xuanhan Yellow Cattle typically begin work at around 3 years of age, with peak performance between 5 and 15 years. They are adept at both paddy and dryland fieldwork and also serve as a major transportation power source in the region. These cattle exhibit strong plowing capabilities, high endurance, and can work with iron ploughshares and wooden plows. Under good nutrition, an ox can plow 1–1.5 mu of dry field, 2–2.4 mu of paddy field, or 2.4–3 mu of dryland per day, and can harrow 5–6 mu of paddy fields. Each working ox can cultivate 15–20 mu of land annually. Maximum pulling force: Tested on adult cattle of medium or better condition, bull average weight is 338.3 kg with an average maximum pulling force of 292.9 kg, accounting for 86.5% of body weight; cows average 296.8 kg in weight with a maximum pulling force of 216.4 kg, 72.9% of body weight; castrated bulls average 393.7 kg with a maximum pulling force of 301.6 kg, 76.6% of body weight, indicating strong pulling capability. For pulling carts: A single ox can pull a rubber-wheeled cart loaded with 500–800 kg and travel about 25 km per day on gravel roads. Tests show that three oxen pulling a cart loaded with 1.5–2.5 tons can travel 30 km per day on gravel roads without any signs of fatigue.

　　(II) Meat Production Performance: In fattening trials using castrated bulls averaging 131.6 kg at 15 months of age, under conditions of grazing supplemented with feed, their average weight reached 168.3 kg after 90 days (from September to December), gaining an average of 36.7 kg, or 407.3 g per day. It takes 3.5 kg of mixed concentrate feed to gain 1 kg of live weight. Dressing percentage was 52.5%, net meat yield 40.0%, and meat-to-bone ratio 3.8:1. The total weight of carcass cuts was 60.2 kg, of which 24.0 kg were premium cuts, accounting for 39.8% of the total, with a cooked meat yield of 59.8%. The trial shows that while the Xuanhan Yellow Cattle's meat yield capacity is average, the meat quality is good. The famous “Dengying Beef” from Daxian, well-known both within and outside the province, is made from Xuanhan Yellow Cattle beef. Analysis of the muscle between the 9th and 11th ribs (excluding the longissimus dorsi) shows: moisture 70.2%, dry matter 29.8% (including protein 18.7%, fat 10.4%, ash 0.9%), with a pH value of 6.1.

　　(III) Reproductive Performance: Female Xuanhan Yellow Cattle reach sexual maturity at 1 year, males at 1.5 years. Estrus in cows is not strongly seasonal, with an average estrus cycle of 22.2 days and duration of 27 hours. The typical first breeding age is 3 years, gestation period averages 281.2 days, and cows usually give birth twice in 3 years, though some may calve once a year, producing 6–7 calves in their lifetime. Birth weights: bull calves average 13.8±0.75 kg, heifer calves average 15.6±0.70 kg. The reproduction rate is 6.3%, and calf survival rate is 98%.