MILK PRODUCTIVITY AND REPRODUCTIVE CAPACITY OF COWS DEPENDS ON DIFFERENT MILK PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
Authors: Voitenko S. L. , Sydorenko O. V. , Petrenko M. O. , Korol P. V. , Cherniak N. H. 
Published: July 2023

Introduction. The production of milk from dairy cows in Ukraine is increasingly consistent with the introduction of modern volume-planning and technological solutions, which are based on light-type premises, a tetherless box system for keeping cows of the same type, throughout the year, feeding from the feed table with full-rational fodder mixtures, milking – in milking hall on the "Parallel", "Carousel", "Jalynka" type installations, as well as on robotic milking systems without human participation. But despite the advantages of modern technology, a large number of farms continue to use high-cost traditional technologies for milk production, with a tethered system of keeping cows and milking in stalls into the milk duct.

Therefore, the aim of the work was to determine the conditions under which cattle of the Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy breed show the highest level of productivity.

Research materials and methods. An analysis of methods of keeping and milking of Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy cows in controlled herds was carried out based on the materials of the information database of the dairy management system of the MS "Intesel-Orsek", which were divided by milk production technologies. Progressive technology is defined as keeping cows untethered throughout the year in pavilion-type premises, with the same type of feeding from feed tables, milking in the milking hall on different types of equipment (n = 4), and traditional – tethered keeping of cows during the stall period in cowsheds, feeding depending on productivity, milking in stalls on UDM "Molokoprovid" type installations (n = 4).

The level of development of milk productivity and reproductive capacity of cows was determined by population genetic parameters.

Research results. As a result of a comparative analysis of milk yield, fat content, and milk fat of Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy breed cows, which produced milk during I–VIII lactations under progressive technology with the same ones, but under traditional technology, it was established that during the first seven lactations, the exploitation of cows in provides higher productivity in comfortable conditions.

It was established that the yield of cows under industrial technology increased until the third lactation, during which the largest amount of milk was obtained – 6855 kg, and decreased from IV to VIII lactation. In the conditions of progressive technology, cows from the second to the seventh lactation produced a larger amount of milk, compared to the first by 352–789 kg (Р ≤ 0.001), except for VIII.

Cows of the Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy breed, which produced milk according to traditional technology, showed a slightly different pattern regarding the level of milk yield with increasing age in lactation. Their hope increased from the first to the fourth lactation by 959 kg (P ≤ 0.001), but tended to decrease from the fifth to the eighth lactation by 411 kg with no significant difference. At the same time, even during the eighth lactation, cows under the conditions of traditional technology produced 548 kg more milk than during the first.

A comparative analysis of two technologies for the production of milk from of Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy breed cows established that more milk was obtained with the progressive technology during the I–VII lactations than during similar lactations of cows under the conditions of traditional technology. The difference in I lactation was 414 kg (Р ≤ 0.01), II – 477 (Р ≤ 0.01), III – 254 (Р ≤ 0.01), IV – 119, V – 88, VI – 92 and VII – 75 kg.

Studies have not established a significant difference in the fat content of cows' milk depending on the difference in the age of cows in lactation and milk production technology.

The correlation coefficient between milk yield and milk fat content for the studied lactations in the conditions of advanced technology had both a negative and a positive value and varied from -0.215 to +0.083, and in the traditional – from -0.027 to +0.095.

Peculiarities of the development of the main breeding traits of cows can also be evaluated using variability indicators. Our research has established that the variability of lactation for the studied lactations under the conditions of progressive technology was: 7.26–22.35%, and for the traditional – 19.01–22.35%.

Irrespective of the existing differentiation of milk yield of cows in the dynamics of age in lactations, we found out the vocative relationship between the trait caused by heredity and environmental factors. The coefficient of repeatability of the yield value for all studied lactations under the conditions of progressive and traditional technology was positive, high or medium level and reliable.

To determine the impact of milk production technology on the milk productivity of Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy breed cows, we conducted a one-factor variance analysis, which allowed us to establish that the influence of the technology on milk productivity was.

The comparative analysis established that the age of first insemination was significantly higher by 3.4 days, the live weight at first insemination by 16.2 kg, and the age of first calving by 2.7 days in cows kept under traditional milk production technology compared to progressive.

That is, cows for creating comfortable conditions for them came to hunting faster and had an earlier calving age, and therefore were more quickly involved in the milk production process, compared to traditional technology. At the same time, the age of their first insemination significantly correlated with the live weight at the time of the first insemination (r = +0.355). The live weight of the first insemination, as well as after the second and third calving, tended to predominate in cows that produced milk under traditional technology.

Thus, the comparative analysis of two different technologies of milk production gave the basis for a conclusion about higher milk productivity and better reproductive capacity of Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy breed cows under progressive technology.

Conclusions. Exploitation of Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy breed cows in comfortable conditions provides them with higher productivity, especially yield and milk fat, than under costly traditional ones. At the same time, with progressive technology, the hope of cows increased up to the third lactation, and with the traditional one – up to the fourth. An increase in the age of cows until the eighth lactation was accompanied by a deterioration of their physiological condition and a decrease in the ability to produce milk in large quantities, regardless of the conditions of keeping.