MODERN CALF REARING SYSTEM

Abstract

Calf rearing is critical to a successful dairy or beef cattle breeding. Maximum productivity at the lowest cost can be obtained from healthy calves only. Zootechnical, biochemical and economic research methods were used during the experiments. It has been determined that feeding calves with experimental milk replacer with milk period duration of 65 days allowed to obtain 692 g of the average daily weight gain for the experiment period, that is 2.3% lower than the control indicator. Feeding calves with WMR helps to reduce the cost of diet by 6.0% and the price cost of weight gain by 3.6%. Use of dry skimmed milk replacer and whole milk replacer during the rearing period, with milk period duration of 115 days, contributed to decrease in weight gain by 1.8 and 1.2% compared to the control variant. Feeding calves with DSMR and WMR helped to reduce the cost of diet by 10.3 and 5.8% and the price cost of weight gain by 8.5 and 4.8%. Feeding with DSMR and WMR in diet for young animals over 115 days of age during the post-milk period increases concentration of erythrocytes in blood by 10.0 and 9.8%, hemoglobin - by 5.8 and 3.9%, amount of glucose - by 11.0 and 9.5%. Inclusion of DSMR and WMR in diet for young cattle with milk period duration of 65 and 115 days contributed to increase in the average daily weight gain in the post-milk period by 9.2 and 10.7%, while reducing the cost of feed by 5.8 and 7.6%, price cost of weight gain by 6.1 and 7.7% and increase in additional profit in the amount of 8.35 (3.5 USD) and 10.58 (4.5 USD) rubles per animal during experimental period. In the future, it is necessary to improve the feeding system of young cattle using new developments in this area.