Global climate change is a challenge for dairy farming. In this regard, identifying reliable correlations between environmental parameters and animals’ physiological responses is a starting point for the mathematical modeling of their effects on the future welfare and milk production of cows. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between environmental parameters and the milk production of cows in hot period. Archival data from the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center were used to study the state of insolation conditions (IC), wind direction (WD), wind strength (WS), air temperature (AT), and relative humidity (RH). The temperature–humidity index (THI) (Kibler, 1964) and temperature–humidity index in the hangar-type cowshed (THICHT) (Mylostyvyi et al., 2019) served as integral indicators of the state of the cowshed’s microclimate. The daily milk yield (DMY), yield of milk fat (MF) and milk protein (MP), and percentage of milk fat (PMF) and protein (PMP) were taken into account by the DairyComp 305 herd management system (VAS, USA). Statistical data processing was performed using the mathematical functions of Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Inc.) and Statistica 10 (StatSoft Inc.). There was a weak correlation between IC and DMY at r = −0.2, between RH and DMY at r = +0.4, and between RH and MF at r = +0.2. Between DMY, MF, MP, and WS made up r = –0.2 to 0.4. Between DMY, MF, MP, and AT made up r = −0.2 to 0.5 (p < 0.05). The effects of weather factors on animal productivity will be the subject of further research.

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of a prolonged hot period on the fatty acid (FA) composition in blood serum of dairy cows. Eighteen multiparous Holstein cows were randomly assigned to the hyperthermia group (HYP, n = 8) in August (summer season) and the control group (CON, n = 10) in October (autumn season). Blood from animals of the HYP group was collected in one heat wave, which was preceded by a long period of heat stress (HS, temperature-humidity index (THI ≥ 72)). Blood from cows of the CON group was collected under thermal comfort conditions (THI < 68). The spectrum of free fatty acids (FFA) in the blood serum was analyzed by gas chromatography. The concentration of FFA increased, including saturated FAs and monounsaturated FAs, in the blood serum of cows under conditions of prolonged HS. This was associated with the mobilization of FA into the bloodstream from adipose tissue, as a consequence of negative energy balance. An increase in the ratio of n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated FAs may indicate biomembrane dysfunction and adversely affect dairy cows. This study showed that prolonged periods of heat can affect the FA composition of blood. How much this leads to changes in the FA composition of milk and the quality of food products remains to be seen in further research.

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This review of literature sources is devoted to the problem of the influance of climate change on dairy husbandry, as well as approaches to welfare evaluation of the animals and the search for reliable markers of the functional state of the body in conditions of high temperatures. Global climatic changes connected with rising temperatures and fluctuations in weather conditions have the influence on agrarian production in general and dairy husbandry in particular. Decrease of yield capacity and food value of plants as a natural source of forage for animal husbandry, favorable conditions for the development and spread of pathogenic microorganisms, as well as the direct action of extreme high temperatures on health, productivity and reproductive capacity of animals, cause significant economic losses in hot periods of the year, not only for tropical regions of the world, but also for most European countries. Today, among the immediate environmental tasks, priority in the context of global food security is the use of urgent measures and the search for long-term (perspective) strategies to prevent the possible consequences of climate change. It is known that horned cattle, especially highly productive horned cattles, are better tolerate to lower temperatures than high, because their thermoneutral zone, in most reports, is in the range from +5 to +20-25°С. The animals, are being present in an artificial, limited space of premises, unable to show the whole range of natural behavioral reactions, and therefore the level of their welfare depends entirely on the conditions created by man. Under such circumstances, monitoring of the air environment and its direct influence on the physiological state of dairy cattle is better done by calculating special indices that take into account several environmental parameters (temperature, relative humidity, air velocity), which act on the organism of animals in a dynamic complex. However, such indices have not been sufficiently disseminated among domestic researchers. Although for more than half a century, the most commonly used in the world practice for evaluation the comfort of animals during periods of heat, is a temperature-humidity index. It is convenient in calculation and informative enough. Numerous studies indicate a close relationship between temperature-humidity index and animal body temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate, which are widely used to elevation the clinical conditions during thermal stress. The relatively high correlation between temperaturehumidity index and productivity (milk yield and content of its components) allows using this index in prognostic models of influence of environmental on the dairy cattle. A various biological markers of the functional state of animals deserve attention. The possibility using such markers as predictors of the effects of high temperatures on the welfare of animals is reported in the proposed literary review.

Material and resource conservation are important when choosing the optimal technology for keeping dairy cattle. The so-called "Canadian technologies" of frame construction that are widely used in the world are only relatively recently used in national animal husbandry. The question of ensuring the comfort of animals in such rooms remains controversial, since the climate in them is as close as possible to environmental conditions. The purpose of the study was to study the temperature and humidity regime of uninsulated rooms and assess the state of comfort of animals in barns of the frame and hangar type. The temperature and humidity of the air were measured inside and outside the premises (n = 827) periodically from January to July 2018 (in the temperature range from-7.8 to +34.2°С). Using the multiple linear regression function in STATISTICA 10 (StatSoft, Inc., 2011), the calculated temperature values in the barns for low and high temperatures of the Steppe of Ukraine were obtained. It has been established that the temperature-humidity regime of uninsulated rooms is as close as possible to the state of the external environment and depends on the design features (type) of the barn.

Studies have shown that the use of herbal feed additives «Fitopank» by Grey Ukrainian cows 30 days before calving had a positive effect not only on the body of cows-mothers and the quality of their colostrum, but also on the physiological state of the born calves and the growth energy of young animals. Adding of «Fitopank» to the cows diet helped to improve the quality of colostrum and its immunological value. It showed a probable increase of total protein by 10-14 % (P < 0.05) and immunoglobulin level by 23-25 % (P < 0.01). The titratable acidity of both the first and second milk yields was 16 % lower (P < 0.01) than in the control group. The use of this feed additive improved the immunological status of newborn calves. In their blood there was an increase of total protein content by 17 % (P < 0.05), the level of gamma globulins by 18% (p < 0.05), IgG concentrations by 14 % (p < 0.05), Ig M by 13 % and Ig A by 17 % (p<0.05), as well as the growth of T-lymphocytes by 46% and B-lymphocytes by 24 % (p < 0.01), compared with control group. Detected increased growth of the 8-12 months bulls (by 2.3%, p < 0.05) of the experimental group may indicate their tendency for better development of meat qualities. Experiment showed that the absolute live weight increase of young animals up to 18 months was higher than the control by 10.9 kg (p < 0.05). The study of the herbal supplements efficacy for the prevention and treatment of animals immunodeficiency, as well as their impact on the metabolic processes and productive qualities of farm animals will be the focus of our further research.

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