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23-405: The Chianina ( Italian pronunciation: [kjaˈniːna] ) is an Italian breed of large white cattle. It was formerly principally a draught breed; it is now raised mainly for beef . It is the largest and one of the oldest cattle breeds in the world. The bistecca alla fiorentina is produced from its meat. The Chianina is one of the oldest breeds of cattle. It originates in the area of

46-407: A pair pulling 6,045 kg (13,327 lb) on a stoneboat . In beef production, Chianina cattle are chosen for their growth rate, which may exceed 2 kg (4.4 lb) per day, the high yield and high quality of the meat, and their tolerance of heat and sunlight. They are good foragers and have better resistance to disease and insects than many other domestic cattle. The ideal slaughter weight

69-537: A wall was built around the province in this period of rule. In Roman times, the settlement was given the Latinized name Arretium and expanded down from the hills. Arretium assisted Ancient Rome in the Punic Wars against Ancient Carthage . After attacks from barbarians, the settlement mostly disappeared in around 400 AD. Towards the end of the 11th century, the settlement grew again into a city, despite being located near

92-407: Is 650–700 kg (1,430–1,540 lb), reached at 16–18 months, where the yield may be 64–65%. The meat is renowned for its quality and nutritional values. In Italy it is sold by name at premium prices by approved butchers, the sales receipt detailing the breed, birth and slaughter dates, identification number and other data of the animal in order to guarantee its origin. Each of the 18 principal cuts

115-511: Is a dual purpose breed, raised both for meat and for draught use; the milk is barely sufficient for suckling. Until recent years, when it was replaced by machinery, the Chianina ox was used with excellent results both in agriculture and for road transport in its area of origin, the provinces of Arezzo , Florence , Livorno , Perugia , Pisa (parts only) and Siena, and in some parts of the more distant provinces of Caserta , Latina and Terni . It

138-518: Is based also on factors such as growth rate, meat yield and, in cows, maternal ability. While one source reports a herdbook dating from 1856, others date the institution of the Libro Genealogico ("genealogical herdbook") to 1933, when a breed standard was established and commissions were set up by the then Ministero dell'Agricoltura e delle Foreste (ministry of agriculture and forestry) to identify, mark and register morphologically suitable animals;

161-697: Is branded with the "5R" symbol of the Consorzio Produttori Carne Bovina Pregiata delle Razze Italiane (consortium of producers of quality beef from Italian breeds), signifying the five indigenous beef breeds of Italy, the Chianina, the Marchigiana , the Maremmana , the Romagnola and the Podolica , in accordance with a ministerial decree of 5 July 1984. For the three breeds present in central Italy,

184-476: Is not unusual for bulls to exceed 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) in weight. Males standing over 1.51 m (4 ft 11 in) at 12 months are considered top-grade. A Chianina bull named Donetto holds the world record for the heaviest bull, reported by one source as 1,740 kg (3,840 lb) when exhibited at the Arezzo show in 1955, but as 1,780 kg (3,920 lb) and 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) tall at

207-568: The Dwarf Lulu cattle of the mountains of Nepal with yak blood, the Beefalo of North America with bison genes, the Selembu breed of India and Bhutan with gayal genes. The Madura breed of Indonesia may have banteng in its parentage. In addition to these fertile hybrids, there are sterile hybrids such as the male Dzo of Nepal, a cattle-yak hybrid which is bred for agricultural work - like

230-519: The Valdichiana , from which it takes its name, and the middle Tiber Valley . Chianina cattle have been raised in the Italian regions of Tuscany , Umbria and Lazio for at least 2200 years. Columella , writing about types of oxen in about 55 AD, says " Umbria vastos et albos ..." (VI.I.2), which in the first English translation is " Umbria has such as are huge, and of a white colour". Chianina oxen were

253-459: The mule and the hinny , they have to be continually bred from both of the parent species. Province of Arezzo The north of the province of Arezzo contains the Pratomagno and Casentino mountain ranges and valleys, and the southern areas of the region contain the fertile Tiber and Chiana valleys. The province capital Arezzo was a major Etruscan urban centre known as Aritim , and

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276-802: The Chiangus has achieved "all but total dominance" in U.S. steer shows. Chianina semen was first imported into Australia in 1973, from Canada; it has since been imported directly from Italy. The Chiangus is an established cross in Australia also. List of cattle breeds Over 1000 breeds of cattle are recognized worldwide, some of which adapted to the local climate , others which were bred by humans for specialized uses. Cattle breeds fall into two main types, which are regarded as either two closely related species , or two subspecies of one species. Bos indicus (or Bos taurus indicus ) cattle, commonly called zebu, are adapted to hot climates and originated in

299-535: The Chianina may reach slaughter weight a month earlier than normal. In 1971 semen was first exported to the United States, where there are now many half-blood and quarter-blood animals. The first American Chianina x Angus calf was born on 31 January 1972 at Tannehill Ranch, near King City, California . Within four years the American Chianina Association had established a Chiangus register, since then

322-816: The Chianina of the Valdichiana, the Chianina of the Valdarno , the Calvana (since 1985 considered a separate breed) in the hilly country of the province of Florence, and the Perugina in the province of Perugia. The oxen, both male and female, were invariably worked in pairs, yoked with a type of neck yoke . Today Chianina oxen are rarely seen in Italy other than at public events such as the Palio di Siena. In North America Chianina oxen are trained for participation in ox-pulling contests. Conroy shows

345-800: The Chianina, the Marchigiana and the Romagnola, there is also an Indicazione Geografica Protetta , or certification of region of origin, in accordance with European Community regulation 2081/92. The Chianina breed is widely used for cross-breeding. In the United States the Chianina has been cross-bred with British breeds to reduce the fat content of meat in line with current fashion; elsewhere it has been used to transmit size, growth-rate and its relatively low skeleton weight to local breeds. It has been found to transmit well qualities such as growth-rate, meat quality, resistance to heat and cold and to insects and disease, and adaptation to rough terrain. Stock cross-bred with

368-493: The age of 8 by others including the Tenuta La Fratta, near Sinalunga in the province of Siena , where he was bred. Cows usually weigh 800–900 kg (1,800–2,000 lb), but commonly exceed 1,000 kg (2,200 lb); those standing over 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) are judged top-grade. Calves routinely weigh over 50 kg (110 lb) at birth. The coat of the Chianina is white; very slight grey shading round

391-485: The eyes and on the foreparts is tolerated. The skin, muzzle, switch, hooves and the tips of the horns are black, as are the natural openings – the anus , vulva , eyelids, palate, tongue, and lower part of the scrotum . At the end of 2010 there were 47,236 head registered in Italy, of which more than 90% were in Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio; it is, after the Marchigiana , the second indigenous beef breed of Italy. The Chianina

414-574: The powerful nations of Siena and Florence. Its location led to its ownership changing repeatedly; Florence owned the province after the Battle of Campaldino , later lost authority over it, and then annexed it again in 1384. Florence possessed the province until 1859, when Tuscany was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia during the Risorgimento . The province is in close proximity to Camaldoli , ancestral seat of

437-600: The principal source of agricultural power in the area until displaced by mechanisation and the collapse of the mezzadria system following the Second World War ; they were in use in agriculture until at least 1970 and are still used in processions such as the corteo storico of the Palio di Siena . From 1931 breeders began to favour selection of animals more suited to meat production, with shorter limbs, longer bodies and more heavily muscled rump and thighs; recently, selection

460-625: The standard of the Chianina breed was fixed by ministerial decree of 7 August 1935. A private register was previously kept by the largest cattle breeder of the Sienese Valdichiana, the Eredi del conte Bastogi of Abbadia di Montepulciano , and a group of breeders had in 1899 formed a society, the Società degli Agricoltori della Valdichiana (society of farmers of the Valdichiana), of which a principal aim

483-538: The tropical parts of the world such as India, Sub-saharan Africa, China, and Southeast Asia. Bos taurus (or Bos taurus taurus ), typically referred to as "taurine" cattle, are generally adapted to cooler climates and include almost all cattle breeds originating from Europe and northern Asia. In some parts of the world further species of cattle are found (both as wild and domesticated animals), and some of these are related so closely to taurine and indicus cattle that interspecies hybrids have been bred. Examples include

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506-462: Was highly adapted to the steep hill terrain and entirely suitable to the farms of the time, to mixed agriculture and to the smallholdings of the mezzadri . A typical casa colonica or rural farmhouse in the area had substantial stabling for oxen on the ground floor, while the habitable part was on the floor above. At this time four varieties were distinguishable within the breed, based on phenotypic differences resulting from different environments:

529-587: Was the establishment of a herdbook. Since the Second World War the Chianina has become a world breed, raised almost exclusively for its high quality meat. Through exportation of breeding stock, of frozen semen and of embryos, it has reached China, Russia, Asian countries and the Americas. The Chianina is both the tallest and the heaviest breed of cattle. Mature bulls stand up to 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in), and oxen may reach 2 m (6 ft 7 in). It

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