MASHONA

Firstly, the Mashona possesses certain adaptations which facilitate loss of heat from the body, therefore rendering it less susceptible to heat stress under conditions of high ambient temperatures. In comparison with Bos taurus breeds, the coat is smooth and glossy, thereby reducing insulation, and the skin is thick and movable and possesses numerous sweat glands and high vascularity to allow for rapid heat dissipation.

Heat loss is also enhanced by the large surface area per unit mass, with the skin surface area often being increased by extra folds in the region of the dewlap, neck, and scrotum. A further advantage is that fat tends to be deposited intramuscularly rather than subcutaneously, reducing any effects of tissue insulation. Moreover, Mashonas have a low metabolic rate, and under conditions of heat stress, there is less metabolic heat that can be dissipated. Mashona possesses a pigmented hide and secretes quantities of a substance called sebum from the skin, which spreads over the hair and acts as an ultraviolet filter.

It is well-equipped to resist the damaging effect of ultraviolet radiation. These include the formation of cancers, hyperkeratosis of the hide, and cancer of the eyelid, which can become a major problem in certain breeds. Bad inflammation of the skin due to photosensitivity can also become a problem in cattle with no pigment to their hides. A major advantage of the Mashona is that it is tick-repellent. This is due to the thick hide, combined with well-developed sulcus muscles and a sensitive pilomotor nervous system.

The hide will thus react more rapidly in the face of the slightest irritation, which is in marked contrast to breeds with longer woolly hair and thin hides. These traits make the Mashona resistant to physical tick damage and reduce their susceptibility to infection with tick-borne diseases. The same mechanisms that help repel ticks are also helpful in overcoming attacks from flies and other biting insects. The secretion of sebum is further believed to act as a form of fly repellent. the Mashona is adapted to the leached Mashonaland sourveld, with acid soils and as such, both skeletal development and body size are small. Therefore, the maintenance requirements of cows are lower, and combined with a low metabolic rate, the chances of production and survival under adverse nutritional circumstances are better than for larger breeds. This is an important attribute of the dam in relation to specialised crossbreeding programmes.

There is no evidence that the Mashona possesses any special mechanisms for the digestion or utilisation of low-quality diets. However, the combination of their small body size and mobility, their ability to forage under conditions of high ambient temperatures and radiation, and their durable teeth, make them very efficient and selective grazing animals, particularly when compared with the larger Bos taurus breeds. Moreover, the Mashona does show a natural propensity to browse, thereby making wider use of food resources. Many of the highveld tree species bear copious quantities of fruit and pods of high nutritive value. Freshly fallen leaves from deciduous species have been shown to have a crude protein content in excess of 10%. These natural supplements are readily sought after and play a significant nutritional role in late autumn and early winter.

Mashona cows exhibit a high degree of urgency in their grazing and browsing behaviour and appear to get their fill and start ruminating early in the morning. This may well be due to adaptation to long hours of kraaling to which they were traditionally subjected.

So, their very deliberate identification and selection of grass and browse species (by smell) varies with the seasonal patterns and may be influenced by a natural instinct to achieve a nutritional balance, particularly of protein. Certainly, the large variety of indigenous legumes that abound in the highveld and are usually regarded as unpalatable to bovines are readily taken on a seasonal basis.

The Mashona is a docile animal, and in contrast to some other Bos indicus breeds, both bulls and cows adapt well to handling. The relatively small body size further facilitates handling and management. Under ranching conditions, the herd and maternal instincts are well-developed. Therefore, females tend to graze in groups, allowing for more efficient use of bulls during the breeding season. At calving time, a few matrons will guard the calves in a nursery area while their dams are grazing, and they serve to protect the calves and warn the rest of the herd if danger threatens. The bulls naturally take to single sire herds and exhibit herd control to a remarkable degree in much the same manner as certain polygamous antelopes like the impala. The Mashona reach puberty at a relatively early age. Therefore, heifers can be bred early (14 months) if feeding and management are adequate. This will lead to greater lifetime productivity from females in comparison with those bred at a later age. Females are sexually active and tend to resume activity soon after calving. The expression of oestrus is strong, which can prove to be a particular advantage of an artificial insemination programme.

Males possess good libido and are very mobile under ranching conditions. The scrotum is adapted and designed to maintain the correct testicular temperature under sub-tropical conditions. Females are highly fertile, and a feature of the beast is that cows will give a consistently high overall calving percentage. In common with other Bos indicus breeds, calving ease is a strong point of the cow, and if bred pure, calving difficulties are unknown. Even with cross-bred calves, the birth mass is contained by the dam influence. Combined with her high fertility, the Mashona cow is an excellent mother with a good milk supply. Scientific research has conclusively proven that the Mashona cow in the natural veld is unrivalled in weaner output per unit weight of the cow. The adaptive traits of the Mashona render it particularly suitable for the efficient utilisation and maximisation of growth from the veld under more extensive systems of production. This ability may increase in importance in relation to the current trend in Zimbabwe, away from pen fattening to more extensive systems of fattening off the veld. The main advantages of the Mashona are its high dressing percentage and the ability to fatten and finish at a low body mass because of its early maturity. In addition, recent evidence has shown that the proportion of meat to bone and fat in the carcass is high. The most economically important muscle in the carcass, the round or eye muscle, is particularly well-developed in Mashona males. As the Mashona lays down a high proportion of its fat in intramuscular form, this renders the meat juicier and more tender than in breeds, which deposit a greater proportion as subcutaneous fat.