ETHOLOGICAL PECULIARITIES OF SIMMENTAL CATTLE OF DIFFERENT SELECTION

Abstract

Using of ethological indicators in cattle breeding makes it possible to realize the productive capacity of cows, since many acts of behavior are characterized by high inheritance. The aim of the work is to monitor the behavioral acts of the Simmental cattle of domestic and German breeding of Mummovskoe breeding farm of Atkarsky district of Saratov region in the stall and pasture periods of keeping, to estab-lish the relationship of food activity with milk yield. Two groups of first-calving cows were formed with 5 heads each: control - domestic selection and experimental - German breeding. Behavioral acts of exper-imental animals were evaluated at 2-3 and 5-6 months of the first and third lactations according to V.I.Velikzhanin method by timing the elementary ethological acts for 16 hours using the alphabet of be-havioral symptoms. Differences in the duration of feed intake were established, which in the stowing pe-riod of the content amounted to an average of 35 minutes. (P> 0.95) in favor of Simmentals of German breeding, in pasture - 15 min. With both methods of maintaining the chewing gum, the Simmentals of German breeding spent 36-44 minutes more than the domestic peers (P> 0.95). Despite the fact that dur-ing the stabling period of the first-caliber content of different breeding, the duration of comfort reactions was practically the same, 56-61 minutes, in the pasture, this act of behavior was required more for the first-class foreign selection (for 35 min, P> 0.999), which is associated with a more acute reaction of this group of animals to high air temperature, attacks of the nemesis, etc. Consequently, in the stall period of keeping, the Simmentals of German breeding displayed the greatest productivity with longer food reac-tions, pasture period - differences in milk yield and duration of feed consumption were relatively leveled, which is due to better adaptation of domestic Simmentals to breeding conditions.