Dairy Productivity of Holstein Cows of Different Breedings Under the Conditions of Commercial Dairy Farms

Abstract

This work aims to identify the level of productivity of Holstein cows of different breedings. The experimental studies were performed using purebred Holstein animals imported from Germany, Hungary, and Finland. When studying the exterior-constitutional features of livestock raised on the farm, it was found that Holstein cows as a whole were characterized by a relatively strong constitution, a proportionally developed and slightly elongated body with average live weight, deep chests with well-defined milk veins, glandular and properly attached bath-like and cup-shaped udder, with an average intensity of milk yield (2.12-2.4 kg/min). According to the expressiveness of dairy forms, the best indicators were for animals of Hungarian breeding with the linear affiliation of Reflection Sovering, and in cows of German and Finnish breedings - Montwik Chieftain. A study of the dairy productivity of cows showed that the greatest milk yield over 305 days for three lactations, depending on the linear affiliation, was for Hungarian cows: during the 1st lactation - 6465.9- 6951.2 kg, the 2nd lactation - 7463.5-7706.2 kg, according to the 3rd lactation - 8254.2-8297.7 kg of milk. A comparative evaluation of the dairy production of cows showed that the highest dairy productivity was noted in cows of the Reflection Sovering line. Thus, the average milk yield in cows of this line in the first three lactations was higher than in analogs of the Finnish breeding by 885 kg (13.02%) and German one - by 892 kg or 13.1% (P<0.05), Vis Beck Ideal by 444.5 kg (6.2%) and 807 kg or 12.0% (P<0.01) respectively. The animals of the Montwik Chieftain line of the Hungarian breeding exceeded in the milk yield of the German cows by 176.5 kg (2.4%) and the Finnish cows by 238.2 kg or 3.3%. Indicators of the coefficient of variation in milk yield show that the herd of Holstein cows in the first and third lactations is very heterogeneous. According to the second lactation, the representatives of the Vis Beck Ideal line of the German selection and the Montwik. It was established that in the coefficient of consistency of lactation, cows of German breeding exceeded the analogs of the Finnish and Hungarian breedings by 4.7 and 6.7%, respectively. Herewith, in the Hungarian cows, the lactation full value indicator was higher by 18.3% and 1%, which indicates higher stability of milk yield of cows of this group for the entire lactation. In such a way, our analysis of the morphofunctional properties of the udder showed that the investigated groups of animals correspond to the technological requirements for industrial keeping technology and organizing machine milking.

Development of innovative and cooperative complex in the dairy industry

“…Amendments to the current legislation on the activities of personal subsidiary farms of the population provide for determining the status of personal subsidiary farms of the population, ensuring the rational use of land in rural settlements, access to measures of state support for personal subsidiary farms of the population (Semenov et al, 2021), as well as ensuring the formation of plans and programs for the development of personal subsidiary farms in districts and regions of the country.…”