Breeding and productive qualities of Ayrshire cattle

Abstract

In the current conditions of livestock development in the country, dairy cattle breeding requires animals having not only high genetic potential, but also characterized by a high level of milk production. The purpose is to study the breeding and productive qualities of Ayrshire cattle bred in the conditions of the Republic of Mari El. The research was carried out at CJSC Mariiskoye in the Republic of Mari El. The test subject is Ayrshire dairy cattle. Currently, Ayrshire cattle bred on the farm are purebred and have an elite-record class. The herd is young, the average age of the cows is 3.4 calvings. On average, one cow produces 6,876 kg of milk per lactation with a milk fat content (MFC) of 4.5% and a milk protein content (MPC) of 3.34%. The level of cow's milk production exceeds the requirements of the class 1 standard for milk yield by 76.5%, for MFC by 3.4%, and for the amount of milk fat by 26.2%. The cows significantly exceed the established standard for live weight by 12–20% and have an excellent exterior for dairy cattle. Currently, in the herd, there are animals belonging to 5 lines. The cows of the Urho Errant and O.R. Lichting lines yielded more than the average for the herd (7,017 kg and 6,930 kg, respectively). The cows of the S.B. Commander line were giving milk with high fat content and the cows of the Sniperum SRB line were giving milk with high protein content. In the herd, the production is ensured by daughters from 19 bulls.