Cattle breeding

The Great Russian Encyclopedia explains this term as follows: "Veterinary medicine is a field of scientific knowledge and practical activities aimed at preventing animal diseases and their treatment, producing full-fledged and safe animal products and protecting the population from diseases common to humans and animals."

The basics of veterinary knowledge about diseases of domestic animals and methods of their treatment appeared in ancient times. In Russia, this area of medical knowledge developed simultaneously with the occupation of cattle breeding. Veterinary medicine in our country became an independent branch only in the second half of the nineteenth century.

In Russian villages, veterinarians, artisan horse breeders, were engaged in the treatment of pets. Many of the konovals were self-taught, that is, they did not receive an appropriate systematic education. Most often, the art of treating pets has traditionally been passed down from generation to generation, or according to the traditions of apprenticeship from a horse doctor to his assistants.

The purpose of cattle breeding was to obtain milk and meat, and other products, such as leather and horns, were also obtained. There are a large number of breeds of cows in Russia: Danish, simmental, black-and-white and others. In the harsh conditions of Siberia, Kholmogorsky, Kostroma breeds, as well as Montbeliard (French), Shorthorn and Ayrshire (Scottish) breeds are traditionally bred. The Kholmogorsky breed originates from the Arkhangelsk province and is appreciated for preserving excellent dairy properties even in the conditions of the North. The Kostroma breed was bred in Karavaevo, Kostroma region at the beginning of the last century. This breed has high milk yields and tolerates frosts well.

The cow is the most revered pet. A cow must be given a nickname, unlike a goat, sheep or pig. A cow without a nickname is meat. The animal must be named, otherwise it will have to be slaughtered soon.

There are many beliefs associated with the cow in the peasant environment. A cow is an object of constant care for a brownie. In order to please the domestic spirit, they tried to keep black cows. A fire from lightning can be extinguished with the milk of a black cow.

Many beliefs and superstitions are associated with milking a cow. "Trouble under the cow, a river of milk!" they wished to the woman who went to the milking. An extra eye when milking a cow spoils it. If the cow stopped milking, it was believed that the witch had tied her udder with her hair. If the cow stops milking, then one of the lucky ones in the family, usually a girl or a child, must "buy" her from the mistress or cowgirl for a penny. From that time on, the cow will become the property of the buyer and will be milked again.

Signs related to the cow: A black cow goes ahead of the herd — to cloudy weather, a mottled one — to a bucket. The cow moos — the owner will be angry. If a cow brings twins of monogamous calves, for good, and mismatched calves, for worse.

Horse breeding was an important branch of agriculture. The peasants have always had a special attitude towards horses. They were used as draft labor, meat was eaten, horse skins, hooves and hair were used on the farm, horses were raised for sale. The conditions for the development of horse breeding in Western Siberia were good. There was an excellent food supply, a lot of oats were grown, but the climate was harsh, epizootics often occurred, and in summer the cattle were attacked by midges (mosquitoes, midges, gadflies, horseflies). In 1910, the population of Tobolsk province had 844,193 horses, by 1912 The number was reduced to 729,745 heads.

During the Civil War, the number of horses among the peasants decreased, since it was unprofitable to keep them, they could be taken to the front at any time. In the 1920s, the number of horses increased again (in the Tyumen province in 1922, 333,209 heads). In the 1920s, the so-called "Tavda" breed (short, hardy horses) prevailed among the population.

In the middle of the twentieth century, the widespread mechanization of all sectors of the economy reduced the importance of the horse as a means of transport, but horses continued to be used in the peasant economy. In the taiga, swampy and mountainous regions of Western Siberia, the horse has retained its importance for transporting people and goods. In the south, heavy trucks (Tomsk, Kuznetsk, Chumysh) were known to be able to carry large bags in a team. Trotting horses were also raised. Herd horse breeding existed in the steppe regions. Altai horses, varieties of the Mongolian horse, prevailed in the herds. Short and squat, they are hardy and can make long marches. Kumis has always been made from the milk of herd mares. The breeding of thoroughbred horses was carried out by horse breeders of the steppes, as well as some collective farms.

The goat was tamed by man in ancient times. This animal is very unpretentious and can survive on the most meager pastures, so a domestic goat is often called a "poor man’s cow."

Goat’s milk is more fatty in its composition than cow’s milk. It is a valuable food for children and people with stomach diseases. Goat’s milk is used for the production of cheese, cottage cheese, bio yogurt and koumiss.

Goat meat is not affected by worms, contains more water and less fat compared to cow meat. Goat meat dishes are especially appreciated, especially young or dairy.

Fabrics and carpets are woven from goat’s wool, and goat down serves as a raw material for knitting openwork shawls and shawls. Goat skins have long been used to make the best quality leathers: morocco, suede, huskies and more.

Goat manure is one of the best fertilizers for gardens and vegetable gardens. It is especially suitable for greenhouses and greenhouses.

In the mythology of the peoples of the world, the goat is associated with fertility. In Russian folk tales, a goat or a goat is one of the most beloved characters (for example, "The Wolf and the Seven Goats", "Goat-goat").

In Western Siberia, sheep have long been bred for meat and wool. By artificial selection, it was possible to obtain several breeds of sheep that tolerated the harsh climate well and gave not only high-value wool, but also wonderful meat. The Altai fine-wool breed, bred in Altai, is especially well adapted to Siberian conditions. From such sheep received 6-7 kg of wool (some large sheep gave 12-15 kg of wool). In the northern forest-steppe and forest areas, Romanov sheep are common, giving especially warm sheepskin, Kuchugur and other sheep breeds. In the Altai Mountains, they bred mainly the fat-tailed Telengin sheep. Its meat is distinguished by exceptional taste qualities. In some areas of Western Siberia, peasants also kept Karakul sheep.

In the middle of the twentieth century, more than 8.5 million sheep were kept on collective farms and state farms in Western Siberia. Almost all sheep farming has adopted a fine-fleeced and semi-fine-fleeced direction. In some farms, fine-fleeced sheep made up half of the herd. Despite the good conditions, sheep farming was poorly developed. In advanced collective farms and state farms, up to 7 kg of wool was cut, but for the most part productivity was not high – 1.8-2.4 kg per sheep on average.

Currently, sheep are kept everywhere. In some private farms, their number reaches up to 200 heads and above.

In the old days, pigs of low-yielding breeds were kept in Siberia, but in the twentieth century, large white and Breitovskaya pigs became widespread. New breeds were bred – Siberian northern white, adapted to the conditions of the taiga and Kemerovo (Kuznetsk) white tallow, bred in the steppe and forest-steppe. The indigenous population of Siberia did not engage in pig farming at all before the arrival of the Russians, but then the Khanty and Mansi began to breed them in small numbers.

In Western Siberia, by the middle of the twentieth century, the number of pigs amounted to about 4 million heads, of which about 400 thousand heads were kept in the Tyumen Region, and over 6 thousand pigs in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. Pig farming was developed in the south of Western Siberia, where this branch of animal husbandry was associated with the active development of fields. It developed especially strongly near cities, as well as near alcohol, starch-treacle, sugar and butter production, that is, where there was waste.

Currently, many farms in the Tyumen region breed pigs. The leader is the company "Consent" in the village of Novaya Zaimka of the Zavodoukovsky city district - the largest pig breeding complex in the region.

Шороховский свинокомплекс

В советское время в составе совхоза «Урожайный» Исетского района Тюменской области существовал свинокомплекс. В постперестроечное время он находился в запустении. В 1995 г. на базе комплекса было создано предприятие по выращиванию свиней. В 2002 г. при поддержке правительства Тюменской области предприятие реорганизовалось в ОАО «Исеть — бекон». Уже в следующем году на комплексе содержало до 15 тыс. голов свиней, перерабатывалось до 2,5 тонн мяса и выпускалось 12 видов колбас и 4 вида деликатесов. В 2022 г. на предприятии было около 17 тыс. голов свиней пород крупная белая, ландрас, дюрок. Для свиней созданы отличные условия: газовое отопление во всех помещениях свинокомплекса, автоматическая раздача кормов, молодняк получает дополнительный свет и тепло от специальных ламп.

A number of important branches of the food industry work on animal raw materials. The meat productivity of cattle breeding has always played a significant role in the economy of Siberia. At the end of the 19th century, commodity industries such as agriculture, oil production, processing of vegetable and animal raw materials and beef cattle breeding were formed in Siberia. For example, in the Tobolsk province, commercial beef cattle breeding areas have developed in the Ishim, Tyukalinsky, Kurgan, Yalutorovsky and Tarsky districts. The most profitable in cattle breeding was the rearing of young horses and cattle for sale in live weight. Agricultural exhibitions provided great assistance in the development of this industry. The development of these industries was also facilitated by the built railways, especially the Trans-Siberian Railway. Only in 1902, 1.5 million pounds of meat were exported from the Urals to the European part of the country.

In 1913, meat worth 10.5 million rubles was exported from Siberia. To assess the significance of this figure, we note that in the same year furs worth 24 million rubles were exported from Siberia, wheat — by 21.4 million rubles, gold — by 28 million rubles. In 1913−1916, in Siberia, up to 16 million pounds of various meats entered the market annually, including beef up to 9 million pounds, mutton up to 2.5 and pork up to 4.5 million pounds. The growth of meat production was facilitated by high demand for it.

But the meat industry was in its infancy. In 1913 In Siberia, there were only 13 sausage industrial establishments with an annual output of 318 thousand rubles and the number of workers in them 90 people and two intestinal establishments with an annual output of 19.5 thousand rubles, which employed 32 workers.

The meat industry suffered great losses during the Civil War. During the NEP period, the number of livestock increased, but even in 1928, less meat was produced than in 1913. The industry suffered huge losses during the Great Patriotic War.

The large meat industry in Siberia was re-established by the mid-1950s. All processes were mechanized at new meat processing plants: from slaughtering livestock to obtaining canned food and medicines. The most powerful of them were located in areas with large livestock and being the largest centers of consumption. Some of their products were sent to the Far East, the Urals and other regions.

Cattle breeding, as well as agriculture, depended on many unfavorable factors affecting the number of cattle and small cattle, horses and in the northern districts — deer. Such factors are the hot, dry summer, when the peasant could not prepare enough fodder for the winter (1906, 1908−1909, 1911 and 1912) and almost annual epizootics.

In 1885−1886, 84 536 cattle died from the plague. In 1886−1887, anthrax destroyed 21 204 horses. In 1909, 179.7 thousand cattle were slaughtered in Tobolsk province due to diseases, in 1910 — 227. In 1911, the number of livestock decreased by a huge figure of 815 002 heads, which amounted to 26% of the total number of animals in 1910. In Kurgan district, the loss of livestock reached 42.6%, in Ishim — 34.9%, in Yalutorovsky — 39.6%.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the number of domestic animals grew due to the increase in livestock among old-timers and as a result of its arrival by new settlers. This helped to compensate for the losses in cattle breeding suffered in 1911, but even in 1913 the number of livestock was 30.5% less than in 1910. For comparison: in 1910, one independent farm in the province averaged 11.8 heads of cattle, in 1911 — 7.5; in 1913 — 8.2.

The terrible scourges of Siberian cattle breeding were the plague and anthrax, which raged here almost every year. Their especially strong spread, in addition to poor nutrition of livestock, was facilitated by the complete lack of sanitary precautions. The skins of animals that died from epizootics were removed and sold, spreading the infection far. The corpses of the fallen animals were left in the field or buried near drinking water sources. The healers invited for treatment usually gathered both healthy and sick cattle into one herd to produce their medicinal techniques over them. The sick animal was reluctant to separate from the healthy ones. In no village was there such a cart on which it was possible to remove corpses and sewage from under them without contaminating the road with liquids. The ignorance of the population and their distrust of veterinary supervision were supported by various horsemen and healers.