PRODUCTIVITY, VIABILITY AND THE PHYSIOLOGICAL – BIOCHEMICAL STATUS OF THE AMERICAN AND HUNGARIAN HOLSTEIN UNDER ACCLIMATIZATION CONDITIONS IN THE BELGOROD REGION

V. Semenyutin, A. Semenyutin, V. Kostromitsky, S. Vasilenco, A. Chomaev

Belgorod state agricultural academy, Belgorod

One of the problems which the agricultural enterprises bought the high-producing heifers in European countries and on the American continent faced with is rather high percent of animals culling for the first year of use.

It is connected with high productivity of animals, an intensive metabolism and not always a proper feeding level. In this case genetically programmed productivity of cows is implemented due to the muscle bulk, and its losses, in turn, cause disturbance in metabolism , decrease in nonspecific resistance of an organism, productivity and the reproductive function disturbance.

Physiological functions recovery requires considerable expenses of medicines and labour resources. After all, this all has serious consequences for the economy of industry sector, especially if taking into consideration the milk prices and the fact that for the enterprise the heifer costs out about 3 thousand EURO.

Material and research methods

The group of companies "Agro-Belogorie" bought import cattle of the Holstein for the subsidiary enterprises LLC (Limited Liability Company) «Grajvoron dairy company» (GDC) and CJSC (Closed Joint-Stock Company) «Belgorod dairy farms» (BDF): 2677 heifers from the USA for theGDC and 400 heifers from Hungary for the BDF.

On both farms animals were kept without outdoor run in premises with no main walls, but equipped with curtains. Feeding of animals was the same the whole year round. Diets correspond to productivity and physiological state of animals. Fodder delivery and manure cleaning are mobile. Drinking bowls are equipped with heating parts. Fecundation is recto-cervical and single. Milking operation in the GDC is carried by means of "Westphalia Surge" wheel, capacity of which is 60 animals, in the BDF milking operation is carried by means of the same company parallels with the capacity of 2 ő 40 animals. Animals stay on the milking parlor during 9 minutes.

The control of full-value feeding and health status of animals was carried out by means of physiological and biochemical blood characteristics monitoring during the most critical periods: intensive pregnancy, early after-calving period and on lactogenesis peak period. Blood for morphological and biochemical researches was taken monthly in each period 3,0-3,5 hours after morning feeding (at heifers 60 and 10 days before the assumed calving, and at firstcalf heifers - 10, 60 and 90 days after the calving ).

Results of research

The blood monitoring showed that concentration of glucose 10 days before calving was decreasing to the level 33,3 mg/dL (tab. 1)

inspite of the fact that down-calving animals were dieted as during the newpregnancy period. At a time when the concentration of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) was increasing a hypoglycemia indicates the decrease in energy supply of an organism, acidotic phenomena in a paunch, possible poisonous liver affliction and predilection to the extremities illnesses.

However, on the specified indicators inverse relationship is shown already by the end of the first decade after calving.

The given indicators tell that changes of the physiological state of animals, increase of forage consuming and rumen fermentation to some extent resulted in relative balanced feeding on energy. A certain increase of volatile fatty acids (VFA) in cows’ blood by the end of the first decade of a lactogenesis period shows it.

An albuminous profile of blood says about the quality of an protein nutrition of animals (tab. 2).

Table 1. Indicators of the carbohydrate-fat exchange in heifers and firstcalf heifers of the GDC, mg/dl

Indicators	Period experience
	60 days before calving	10 days before calving	10 days after calving	50 days after calving	90 days after calving
Glucose,	53,59±3,26	33,30±5,44 *	45,30±2,06	55,32±5,46	38,85±4,92
% to previous period	-	62,1	136,0	122,1	70,2
NEFA	5,23±0,63	6,19±0,61	5,29±0,99	3,01±0,36 *	3,03±0,24
% to previous period	-	118,3	85,4	57,0	100,6
VFAs	4,34±0,03	4,27±0,02	4,51±0,05 **	4,43±0,03	4,50±0,11
% to previous period	-	98,4	105,7	98,2	101,5

The note: difference to previous period at* - p<0,05; ** - p<0,01;

Table 2. Indicators of the proteometabolism in heifers’ and firstcalf heifers’ blood.

Indicators	10 days before calving	10 days after calving	50 days after calving
GDC
Total protein, g/L	74,40±1,82	75,62±2,41	78,40±2,93
% to previous period		101,5	103,8
Ureas, mol/ L	6,68±0,81	5,38±0,95	8,43±0,34 *
% to previous period		80,5	156,8
Albumins g/ L	29,51±0,80	28,50±0,92	31,80±1,11
% to previous period		96,8	111,5
A/G	0,65	0,61	0,68
% to previous period		92,6	112,5
BDF
Total protein, g/ L	74,20±3,14	64,70±2,35 *	76,00±2,32 **
% to previous period	-	87,2	117,5
Ureas, mol/ L	5,18±0,47	5,81±0,35	7,17±0,50 *
% to previous period	-	112,2	123,4
Albumins g/ L	33,90±1,22	32,50±0,95	30,70±1,63
% to previous period	-	95,9	94,5
A/G	0,84	1,01	0,68
% to previous period	-	120,0	67,1

From table 2 one can see that levels of the total protein in animals’ blood in both enterprises were slightly below desirable level, but in the GDC it corresponded to productivity and physiological state of animals more.

The reasons of the shown decrease in protein level of cows’ blood in the BDF could be: inadequate diet according to the amino-acid content, feeding of easy available protein for pre-rumen microflora – oilseed meal, deficiency of energy, excessive carrying out of a protein with colostral milk, etc. A relatively high level of urea in blood of this farm cows, either before or after the calving can prove the facts mentioned above.

According to the materials presented in Tables 1 and 2, one can draw a conclusion about relatively safe state of health and character of metabolism in an organism of the brought heifers and newpregnancy cows of the Holstein breed, as well as about potential absence of preconditions for the reproductive function disturbance after calving.

Animals from the USA turned out to be more vital, and, respectively, showed higher viability (tab. 3). Their stock loss amounted only to 13 %, while Hungary animals’ - 36 %.

Table 3. The revealed pathology and stock losses for the first year of use

Indicators	GDC		BDF
	Culling		Culling
	An.	%	An.	%
Abortions and stillbirths	-	-	3	0,8
Diseases: post-partum	48	1.8	9	2,3
of extremities, incl hoof	18	0.7	13	3,3
of joints	4	0.1	41	10,3
apostasis, etc.	16	0.6	7	1,8
Ěastitis	171	6.4	16	4,0
Udder necrosis	8	0.3	3	0,8
Gastro-intestinal tract	48	1.8	9	2,3
incl Liver	16	0.6	7	1,8
Respiratory system	11	0.4	44	11,0
Cardiovascular system	11	0.4	2	0,5

Considering genetic predisposition of Holstein-Friesian breed high-producing cows to disease distal parts of extremities, special attention is paid to the preventive measures of this pathology at the enterprise. All animals undergo an obligatory health examination on a special hydraulic table twice a year. Besides, every week within 2 days, all livestock takes sanitary bath with a solution of cuprous sulphate.

It is necessary to notice high milk productivity of cattle for the first lactogenesis period in both enterprises with considerable overweight in favor of animals from the USA.

Daily average milk productivity of the American cows amounted to 29,70 kg of milk in conversion to basic (3,4 %) fat content at the total milk yield of 10116 kg. Productivity of the Hungarian cows was lower and amounted to 21,95 kg of milk a day and 7485 kg of milk for a lactogenesis period.

Conclusion

Thus, the adaptation of heifers from the USA under acclimatization conditions in the Belgorod region more successful than the heifers` from Hungary. The livestock loos for the first lactogenesis period amounted to 13 and 36 % respectively