COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PRODUCTIVE INDEXES OF BULLS OF
MEAT BREEDS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE DNIPROVIAN STEPPE
Authors: Kozyr Volodymyr , Denysiuk, Oleksandr , Dimchia Geordiy , Maistrenko Anatoliy 
Published: December 2023

Introduction. In many countries of the world, beef production is based on
specialized meat cattle breeding. In Ukraine, this industry is also gaining strength, the
breed composition is expanding, the number of livestock is increasing, and several
foreign and domestic breeds of cattle are being grown. In terms of embryonic and
post-embryonic growth and development, animals of different genotypes of beef cattle
have many similar advantages, but at the same time certain breed differences and
peculiarities are noted, which prompted the relevance of our research. The purpose
of the research was to study the peculiarities of growth and development of Ukrainian
gray, Ukrainian meat, and light Aquitaine breeds from birth to 30 months of age in
the arid conditions of the Dnieper steppe. Methods. In the research farm
"Polyvanivka" of the State Institution "Institute of Grain Crops of the National
Academy of Agrarian Sciences" three groups of clinically healthy gobies cattle of
4 heads each of gray Ukrainian, Ukrainian meat, and light Aquitaine breeds were
formed. After birth, the animals were raised in the same room, under absolutely
identical climatic, technological and fodder conditions until the age of 30 months.
Distribution of fodder - by hand, watering of animals - with automatic waterers.
Growth was studied according to external indicators of the measurements of body
sexes, development - according to live weight, absolute and average daily growth.
Modern biological, zootechnical, statistical, analytical methods were used. The
results. A comparative assessment of growth and development features of beef cattle
breeds (Ukrainian gray, Ukrainian meat, light Aquitaine) from birth to 30 months of
age was carried out. The animals were fed with typical fodder for the steppe zone of
Ukraine - winter wheat and barley straw, alfalfa hay, milk-wax corn silage, corn and
alfalfa green mass, compound feed and mineral additives. External indicators show
that all the controlled measurements of the livestock were within the breed norm, but
their habit differed slightly: the gray Ukrainian bulls were taller; Ukrainian meat
breed - more massive compared to the previous ones; and light Aquitaine - had a tubshaped body with well-developed trunk muscles. In the first months of the experiment,
animals of the light Aquitaine breed were slightly behind their Ukrainian peers, but
later, due to compensatory growth, they were ahead of their counterparts of the gray
Ukrainian and Ukrainian meat breeds. In terms of slaughter performance, gray
Ukrainian bulls were inferior to specialized butchers, which had their typical carcass
weight, high slaughter yield and pulp yield. Conclusions. Despite the fact that the
domestic gray Ukrainian and Ukrainian meat breeds are the most adapted to the dry
hot climate, in our experiment, cattle of the light Aquitaine breed showed the highest
productivity indicators, although its homeland is a "softer" climatic region.
Key words: cattle, breed, bulls, ontogenesis, growth, development, exterior,
productivity.