Integrated assessment of bulls of precocious meat breeds of English selection in the conditions of Ukraine

Abstract

An integrated assessment of the productivity of precocious Hereford and Aberdeen Angus beef bulls of English breeding in the Ukraine Steppe zone conditions was carried out. It has been established that livestock from the seaside climate have adapted to the dry, hot environment of the Steppe zone, as evidenced by the clinical indicators of the animals’ bodies. Livestock developed harmoniously, external measurements and indices of body structure were within the limits of breed standards. Hereford and Aberdeen Angus breeds bulls under pasture-free maintenance and rearing conditions for up to 2.5 years at the end of fattening had high productivity — 688 and 531 kg of body weight, respectively. The bulls were with a harmoniously developed body and perfectly expressed meat forms. The bulls were of compact build with a developed deep chest, a full back part of the body, which is characteristic of cattle with a strong constitution and potentially high meat productivity. The relative growth rate of the bulls during the study was in the range of 19–22%. Therefore, Hereford and Aberdeen Angus breeds are the future of meat cattle breeding in Ukraine to increase the production of high-quality “marble” beef. Compared to Aberdeen Angus, Herefords differ in slightly larger habit, massiveness, growth energy, feed conversion, slaughter indicators, balanced morphological composition of carcasses, meatiness ratio. Absolute and relative increases in body weight confirm the high genetic potential of meat productivity — 18–24-month-old bulls have reached sales conditions. Today, their number is small, and reproduction requires a certain amount of time and money, so we believe that the breeding period can be extended to 30 months. In the period of formation of the meat cattle breeding industry, it is possible to raise young animals up to 30 months of age without deterioration of slaughter performance and culinary and taste qualities of beef in accordance with consumer requirements.