Determination of Animals’ Individual Resistance to High Solar Activity

Abstract

This article presents methods and devices developed by the authors for protecting cattle from high solar activity in the hottest period of the year. A new method for determining the individual resistance of cattle to a thermal stimulant has been developed. The research was carried out on cows and heifers of the blackmotley breed crossed with Holstein. The body temperature, respiratory rate, pulse rate, and cycle of cow’s rumen were determined. Highly resistant cows identified by this method better maintain homeostasis and show increased milk productivity compared to less resistant cows. It has been found that both the young and adult animals with the dominance of white color are characterized by a high resistance to solar radiation during the hottest period of the year compared to black-colored individuals. We studied the ways of attenuating a high sunlight intensity in loafing areas by shelters with different air-permeable coatings, which protect animals from direct sunlight, reducing its negative impact by 86.2%. The use of these shelters will make it possible to improve the zoohygienic cattle management conditions and reduce costs using a design with a low material consumption.