REPRODUCTIVE ABILITY AND MILK PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE IN FIRST-CALF COWS BRED IN AUSTRIA

Abstract

Results are given from investigations into studying reproductive ability and milk production performance in first-calf Simmental cows, bred in Austria, both imported and born under conditions of Transbaikalia, as compared with Simmental analogs of local population. The investigations were conducted on the experiment-production farm “Baikalskoe”, Kabanskiy District, Republic of Buryatia. It was established that calving in the animals of experimental groups went off satisfactory. The animals from Austria yielded to the control ones in reproductive characteristics, but exceeded in milk production performance by 34.3 percent (p > 0.999). The first-calf cows born on the farm had good reproductive characteristics, and had an advantage over the control analogs because of their milk production performance (p > 0.999). The milk yield coefficient in the experimental cows indicates that they are dual-purpose cattle.