Technologies for growing Holstein heifers – condition and efficiency

The purpose of the research is to determine, based on monitoring of technologies rearing, the most effective solutions in the methods of housing and feeding heifers of the Holstein breed to increase productivity and longevity of cows. The technologies of rearing Holstein heifers were studied and their effectiveness was evaluated, based on the results of surveys of dairy farms, as well as on the materials of production and breeding records in 23 farms of blackwhite and Holstein breeds of the Central Federal District, with a total livestock of 72.9 thousand cattles, including 32.8 thousand cows, over a 10-year period. According to the totality of the constituent elements ensuring the achievement of live weight of heifers by 10 and 12 months of age, the technologies were divided into moderate less than 250 kg and less than 300 kg, medium-intensive 251-280 kg and 300-330 kg and intensive more than 281 kg and 331 kg, respectively. Technologies for rearing heifers, at economically acceptable costs, ensure the formation of a productive type of cattle aimed either at previously obtaining high milk yields for lactation, or, with relatively moderate precocity and productivity, increased productive longevity of cows. The changes that have taken place in technologies over the past decade are focused on the active introduction (+28%) of individual houses located on open and canopied sites in warm seasons, and in winter on the preferential use of premises (56%) or sites closed from precipitation and wind. There is a tendency to increase the daily and total amount of colostrum and milk, while increasing the popularity of the relatively shortened (up to 9.5 weeks) duration of their feeding, as well as an increase feeding of concentrates at 4-5 months of life to 3 kg per day, which positively correlate with the intensity of growth and milk productivity of the first heifers r=0.26. 0.49 (p<0.001). The cost of growing heifers of the Holstein breed being at a relatively high level, it changes from 122.2 thousand rubles in moderate to 156.6 thousand rubles in medium intensive technologies. When attributing the total cost of rearing heifers to the cost of milking milk from a cow per year, the most effective technologies are those that ensure an intensive increase in live weight and high productivity of the first heifers.