Beefalo Facts
Beefalo Facts
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| Interesting Beefalo Facts: |
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| Beefalo can reach 55 inches in height and 1.500 to 2.000 pounds of weight. |
| Beefalo is covered with fine, usually dark-colored robe that is evenly distributed on the body. |
| Beefalo has bovine-like body without hump. It is docile by nature. |
| Beefalo has higher tolerance to diseases and ability to survive in the areas with cold climate that are not suitable for domestic cattle. |
| Beefalo is usually created by crossbreeding female bison with domestic bull. Crossbreeding of male bison and female cow produces less offspring. |
| Beefalo contains 37.5% genes of bison and 63.5% genes of domestic cattle. |
| Beefalo can be produced naturally or artificially (via insemination or insertion of fertilized embryo). |
| Beefalo is very small at birth, with an average weight of 40 to 60 pounds. Despite small birth weight, beefalo grows fast and reaches weight of 800 to 900 pounds at the age of 10 to 12 months. |
| Female offspring is always fertile. Young beefaloes are hardier and often healthier than calves of domestic cattle. |
| Compared with domestic cattle, beefalo reaches sexual maturity slightly later in life. However, it can reproduce until the age of 25 years, while domestic cow has reproductive life of 8 to 10 years (rarely of 12 years). |
| Beefalo is weaned at the age of 205 days. It starts to eat grass early in life and requires less food than domestic cattle. Beefalo can successfully grow and develop without grain supplements. It efficiently converts consumed grass into high-quality meat rich in proteins. |
| Beefalo doesn't require growth hormones (that are frequently used to accelerate growth of domestic cattle) because it grows and develops quickly (this trait is inherited from bison). |
| Beefalo is mostly used as a source of meat that contains more proteins and less cholesterol and saturated fat compared with pork and beef. It also contains less calories than most types of meat. |
| Beefalo is also valuable source of milk that is rich in butterfat and has sweeter, creamier taste compared with the milk of domestic cow. |
| Increased interest in breeding of beefalo negatively affects survival of American bison in the wild. Only 4 herds of genetically pure American bison can be found in the USA today. |
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