Productive longevity of holstein bulls' female offspring

Abstract

The main task of breeding is obtaining highly productive livestock. In dairy cattle breeding, great attention is paid to productive qualities of animals, as well as to exterior features and longevity, since one of the ways of increasing profitability in dairy cattle breeding is increasing the period of practical use of high-yielding cows. This is consistent with the opinion of some scientists who suggest revising the criteria for assessing breeding animals, increasing the requirements to their growth, development and exterior, envisaging a comprehensive index for cows and bulls, where these characteristics would be considered. This paper shows the results of assessing the level of genetic potential of the bulls used at the Closed Joint-Stock Company Breeding Farm "Gulkevichsky" in the Gulkevichsky district of the Krasnodar Krai, the indicators of milk productivity of their female offspring, the longevity and lifetime productivity of cows, and the efficiency of practical use. The results of the research have revealed bulls of various lines with high genetic potential, as well as the reasons for cows disposal from the herd, and economic efficiency of using female offspring of the bulls of various lines.