Evaluation of first-born cows of different genotypes on the indicators of udder development and milk production

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Recently, an important element in improving the genetic traits of dairy cattle on commercial farms is the use of interbreeding (crossbreeding). The use of crossbreeding makes it possible to use a variety of additive genetic levels between breeds to grow individuals with higher economic potential. The aim of this study was to analyze the development of udder parameters in crossbred first-borns compared to purebred counterparts and to study the indicators of milk production during milking. The research was conducted on the first-born Ukrainian black-spotted dairy breed and first-generation crossbreeds obtained by crossing with the Brown Swiss breed and on the Ukrainian red-spotted dairy breed and first-generation crossbreeds obtained by crossing Ukrainian red-spotted dairy breed with Montbeliarde breed. Two groups of purebred and local first-borns were formed in both farms. Both farms use the same type of year-round feeding of cows with complete feed mixtures. The study was performed on first-born cows during weaning (2–3 months of lactation). It was found that local first-borns obtained by crossing red-spotted and Montbeliarde breeds outnumbered purebred red-spotted analogues in terms of measurements and udder indices. The opposite situation was observed in local first-borns obtained as result of crossing black-spotted and Brown Swiss breeds, which were inferior in these characteristics to purebred black-spotted analogues. In purebred black and red-spotted cows, the rates of single and daily milking were higher than in local ones. Also, purebred first-borns had a longer duration of single milking, indicators of average and maximum intensity of milk production and milk yield in the first 3 minutes. Prospects for further research are to study the productivity for completed lactation, the quality of milk and the duration of the service period.