Whether you are a pedigree breeder, commercial beef producer or dairy farmer;
the Salers has something to offer you .......
It is the breed that naturally meets modern welfare and environmental standards, whilst helping the farmer reduce costs and increase income.
It
all starts with
fantastic easy calving.
- easier calving - 10% extra calves
- less replacements - 10% saving on foster calves
- less bad calving - 10% saving on vets bills
- calves have tremendous "get up and suck"
- live weight gain per day second
only to the Charolais
- own replacement heifers - 20% more value for heifers
- and extra heifers for sale as breeders
- cows wear longer
- 10% less depreciation
- less labour for calving surveillance - 10% less labour
- better milking cows - 10% saving on feed
- better
grazers and users of rough forage
- excellent carcasse conformation
- marbled meat, the gourmet beef of Paris
Origins of Salers Cattle
Salers originate in the southern half of the Massif Centrale in the Auvergne region of France, which has
a rough and variable climate. Though higher, at 2-6000 ft, it is very similar to the English Lake District and the high moors
and hills of Cornwall, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
The Salers is believed to be one of the oldest cattle breeds in the world, with
prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux suggesting that a similar type of animal has been bred in the area for 7-10,000 years.
Physical
characteristics
Salers are generally horned, with a deep red coat which becomes thick and curly in winter giving hardiness
and adaptability to cold and heat. Black coated animals were rarer, but now are becoming more common. Polled animals in the fullblood
herd occur very rarely through a natural mutation of the horn gene.
The skin and pigmented membranes are brown, so very few
eye or udder problems occur.
Having roamed the mountains for centuries, and been draught animals they have strong legs and good black
hooves. They can travel long distances over rough ground and tolerate long periods inside on slats etc. without developing foot problems.
Hybrid
vigour
Being one of the oldest and genetically most pure of the European breeds, the Salers produces a positive effect on the predictability
in crossbreeding programs with a consistent increase in hybrid vigour.
