When I saw a picture of this bull, I did not even doubt that it was "photoshop". This is a piece of meat on the bone, not an animal. But soon I realized that I was wrong …
Cows and bulls of the breed Belgian blue (Belgian Blue cattle), also called "two-muscle", looks as if they spent most of their lives not in the meadow, peacefully chewing grass, but in the gym, devouring tons of steroids. But in fact, this species owes its appearance to genetics and many years of selective crossings.
As the name suggests, this incredible breed of cattle began to be bred in Belgium. In the second half of the 19th century, a herd of several hundred heads of Shorthon bulls arrived there, which were supposed to improve the breed of the local cows, milking breeds. The trick was to combine the pros of these breeds and create a meaty milk-producing cow that, once retired, could be packaged in hundreds of cans.
This breed was and remains incredibly popular in Belgium and is valued not only for meat, but also for the milk given to it, which is distinguished by its fat content and is considered very useful. But after 1960, due to a shortage of meat in the country and general economic instability, these cattle began to be raised exclusively for slaughter, this trend continues to this day.
Many people think that the term "two-muscle" means the presence of additional muscle groups in these animals that are not inherent in other types of cattle, but this is not so, the fact is that the muscles of the Belgian blue cows are simply at least twice more developed than in their dystrophic counterparts. Genetic scientists were able to achieve this effect by blocking a gene that regulates the secretion of myostatin, a protein that inhibits the growth of muscle tissue when it reaches a certain limit. Thus, geneticists literally created the real Schwarzenegger of the animal kingdom.
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Despite their formidable appearance, these giants are distinguished by a docile disposition. But their main advantage over other breeds of cows is their meat: incredibly tasty, tender and without a hint of fat.
Connoisseurs of Belgian blues say: “Belgian cows have incredibly tender meat. Having tried it for the first time, you will never believe that it is beef."
If you still find it difficult to imagine how huge these animals are, then you should know that the weight of some bulls of this breed can reach 1200-1400 kg. And most of this mass is muscle!
The Belgian Blue is a large animal with rounded shapes and well-defined muscles. The neck, shoulders, rear, loin and rump are accentuated by well-developed muscles. The back is straight and the rump is rounded. The breed has beautiful strong legs and is easy to walk.
The color can range from white, bluish piebald and black to combinations of the previous colors. Red is sometimes present in the genotype of individual lines. The breed has a very calm temperament.
The height ranges from 1.45 to 1.50 m. Often there are individuals weighing more than 1300 kg. Cows usually weigh between 850 and 900 kg and can be over 1.40 m in height.
Developed muscles are the hallmark of this beef cattle breed. Calves are not born with these muscles, and usually the muscles begin to show from 4 to 6 weeks of age.