GROWTH FEATURES OF ABERDEEN ANGUS BREED IN DIFFERENT HOUSING TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

The article presents results of the studies of dynamics of live weight, average daily gains and relative growth rate of Aberdeen Angus bulls under different housing technologies. The purpose of the research is to establish the degree of growth parameters for cattle of Aberdeen-Angus breed in economic and technological conditions of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Bulls of Aberdeen-Angus breed were the object of the research. Group I - year-round keeping in a fenced area, group II - stall-pasture with transfer of animals in the summer to high-mountain pastures (the length of the pasture period is 152 days). Total duration of production cycles was 18 months. The suckling period was 7 months, rearing - 9 months and intensive final fattening - 2 months. It was established that (due to differences in housing technologies), differences between individuals of different groups at the age of one year reached 18.1 kg (P> 0.95) in favor of animals located on high mountain pastures with high nutritional value of the grass stand. The superiority of this group of bulls over the peers of year-round keeping in a fenced area at the age of 16 months was 21.5 kg (P> 0.95), at the end of the fattening period -25.1 kg (P> 0.95). Over the entire period of research, as expected, the maximum average daily gain of live weight was common for Aberdeen Angus animals of remote pasture keeping - 965 g versus 919 g - ofanimals of year-round keeping in a fenced area (by 46 g, Р> 0.95) , in terms of growth energy – by 0.9% (Р>0.95). A comparative assessment of housing technologies for bulls of Aberdeen-Angus breed in economic and technological conditions of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic showed higher growth parameters in the conditions of distant-mountain keeping compared to year-round keeping in a fenced area.