How much does a Charolais cow cost? Latest market price analysis
The Charolais cow originated in the Charolais and Nivernais regions from central-western to southeastern France. It is a world-famous large beef cattle breed, and since its development it has been widely welcomed by international markets for its fast growth, high meat yield, large body size and tolerance of extensive management. Let's take a look below at how much a Charolais cow costs!
How much does a Charolais cow cost
The price of Charolais cattle is generally relatively high, but they grow fast and have a high meat yield, so many people raise them. The price of Charolais cattle is generally around 3000 to 6000 yuan, and prices vary depending on size and the growth frame of the animal. An adult purebred Charolais cow costs about 15000 yuan per head, while a calf costs about 4000 to 5000 yuan.
Appearance characteristics of the Charolais cow
The most notable feature of the Charolais cow is that its coat is white or creamy white, its skin often has colored patches, and its whole body is especially muscular. The bones are solid, the limbs are strong, the head is small and wide, the horns are round and fairly long and extend forward, the horn quality is waxy yellow, the neck is thick and short, the chest is wide and deep, the ribs are rounded, the back is wide and thick with meat, the body is cylindrical, the muscles are full, and the hindquarters are very muscular and protrude backward and to the sides, often forming a “double muscling” characteristic. An adult bull averages 1100 to 1200 kg, a cow 700 to 800 kg, a newborn male calf weighs 45 kg, and a female calf 42 kg.
Production performance of the Charolais cow
The most notable characteristics of the Charolais cow in terms of production performance are its fast growth rate and high lean meat yield. Under good feeding conditions, a 6-month-old male calf can reach 250 kg, a female calf 210 kg, the daily weight gain can reach 1.4 kg, and a bull can reach 511 kg at one year of age. The Charolais cow has good meat production performance, with a dressing percentage generally of 60 to 70%, a carcass lean meat rate of 80 to 85%, and a 16-month-old fattened cow reaching a carcass weight of 418 kg with a dressing percentage of 66.3%. Cows have a relatively high milk yield, producing 2000 kg of milk per lactation period, with a milk fat rate of 4.0% to 4.7%, but the Charolais cow has a relatively high rate of difficult calving when purebred breeding is carried out, averaging around 13.7%.
Meat characteristics of the Charolais cow
1. Meat performance: Different breeds of Charolais cattle differ in stature and body type, which leads to relatively large differences in growth rate, meat yield and carcass composition of beef cattle. During the fattening period, the average daily weight gain is 1.7 to 2 kg, and at 12 months of age they can reach 680 to 790 kg. Local breeds, however, gain only 0.9 to 1.1 kg per day, showing how large the gap is.
2. Nutritional value: The protein content of Charolais beef is as high as 8 to 9.5%, and the digestibility after human consumption is over 90%. It can provide a large amount of energy, more than twice that of pork, and has long been favored by consumers.
3. Meat grade: The grade of Charolais beef is noticeably higher than that of ordinary beef. The meat color is bright red, the texture is fine, it is elastic, the marbling is moderate, the fat color is white or with a light yellow tinge, and the fat coverage on the carcass surface is 100%. Ordinary cattle can hardly meet this standard.