Nguni - Tough Cattle Tender Beef

Nguni cattle descend from both Bos Taurus and Bos Indicus cattle and entered Africa around 8000 years ago. As the tribes migrated south into Africa they took their cattle along. Through natural selection and environmental interaction the cattle evolved into the hardy breed we know today as the Nguni.  The breed migrated through areas rife with Nagana, East Coast fever and many other endemic diseases, and has survived seasonal as well as periodic droughts.

The Nguni are characterised by their unique multi coloured skin, which can present many different patterns.

The Nguni is heat and light tolerant and can handle extreme heat and cold alike. They are adaptable and hardy and possess excellent resistance to internal and external parasites with natural immunity to tick borne diseases,

 Early maturity, fertility, ease of calving and longevity ensures that cows have long and productive lives.

 The Nguni can be fattened on natural grazing and performs well in the feedlot, producing quality carcases with an even distribution of fat and good marbling.

WHY NGUNI?

· Exceptional Fertility
Cows calve regularly year after year, even in the most appalling conditions, without supplements, without licks, without adequate tick and worm control.
The fertility of the Nguni is definitely the single most important factor to be exploited in a beef production system, and is widely documented and acknowledged and calving rates in excess of 90% are easily achieved.
Scholtz (1988) referring to data presented in a paper on Selection Possibilities of Hardy Beef Breeds in Africa states that “the Nguni seems to be the most fertile breed in South Africa and probably in the world”.

· Longevity
The longevity of the Nguni is mainly due to the hardiness and the slow rate of attrition of the teeth. Cases are known of Nguni cows who are 20 years old and who have had 18 calves. The cows show great efficiency and often wean calves that weigh 45-50% of their body mass.

·  Calving Ease
Calves are small, ie 21 – 30kg at birth. In addition, the Nguni cow has a sloping rump that facilitates ease of calving. An efficient dam line to put heavier breeds over  - without calving problems.

·  Adaptability
The cattle are heat and light tolerant and have thick pigmented skins covered with fine short hair of different mixtures of colour (Black, white, red, brown, cream and dun).

·  Disease Resistance
In Africa Nguni develop excellent resistance to ticks and immunity to tick borne diseases. Disease incidence and mortality are low.

·  Foraging
They are excellent foragers and will graze and browse on steep slopes and in thick bush alike.