COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PRODUCTIVE INDEXES OF BULLS OF MEAT BREEDS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE DNIPROVIAN STEPPE

Abstract

Introduction. In many countries of the world, beef production is based on specialized meat cattle breeding. In Ukraine, this industry is also gaining strength, the breed composition is expanding, the number of livestock is increasing, and several foreign and domestic breeds of cattle are being grown. In terms of embryonic and post-embryonic growth and development, animals of different genotypes of beef cattle have many similar advantages, but at the same time certain breed differences and peculiarities are noted, which prompted the relevance of our research. The purpose of the research was to study the peculiarities of growth and development of Ukrainian gray, Ukrainian meat, and light Aquitaine breeds from birth to 30 months of age in the arid conditions of the Dnieper steppe. Methods. In the research farm "Polyvanivka" of the State Institution "Institute of Grain Crops of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences" three groups of clinically healthy gobies cattle of 4 heads each of gray Ukrainian, Ukrainian meat, and light Aquitaine breeds were formed. After birth, the animals were raised in the same room, under absolutely identical climatic, technological and fodder conditions until the age of 30 months. Distribution of fodder - by hand, watering of animals - with automatic waterers. Growth was studied according to external indicators of the measurements of body sexes, development - according to live weight, absolute and average daily growth. Modern biological, zootechnical, statistical, analytical methods were used. The results. A comparative assessment of growth and development features of beef cattle breeds (Ukrainian gray, Ukrainian meat, light Aquitaine) from birth to 30 months of age was carried out. The animals were fed with typical fodder for the steppe zone of Ukraine - winter wheat and barley straw, alfalfa hay, milk-wax corn silage, corn and alfalfa green mass, compound feed and mineral additives. External indicators show that all the controlled measurements of the livestock were within the breed norm, but their habit differed slightly: the gray Ukrainian bulls were taller; Ukrainian meat breed - more massive compared to the previous ones; and light Aquitaine - had a tubshaped body with well-developed trunk muscles. In the first months of the experiment, animals of the light Aquitaine breed were slightly behind their Ukrainian peers, but later, due to compensatory growth, they were ahead of their counterparts of the gray Ukrainian and Ukrainian meat breeds. In terms of slaughter performance, gray Ukrainian bulls were inferior to specialized butchers, which had their typical carcass weight, high slaughter yield and pulp yield. Conclusions. Despite the fact that the domestic gray Ukrainian and Ukrainian meat breeds are the most adapted to the dry hot climate, in our experiment, cattle of the light Aquitaine breed showed the highest productivity indicators, although its homeland is a "softer" climatic region. Key words: cattle, breed, bulls, ontogenesis, growth, development, exterior, productivity.