Raising calves for suction in beef cattle breeding. Sucking-group feeding of calves. For growing young stock on suction

The problem of increasing meat production is currently one of the most important.

In the report of Comrade NS Khrushchev at the XXI Congress of the CPSU it is indicated that in 1959-1965. it is envisaged to increase the production of meat (in carcass weight) to no less than 16 million tons, or 2 times compared to 1958. The available reserves in literally every district, economy convincingly speak of the possibility of a significant overfulfillment of the specified task. Among the reserves that were not used to increase beef production and reduce the cost of production, in particular, should be attributed raising calves by the method of group, round sucking, a method that is sometimes incorrectly perceived in our country as a manifestation of extensive cattle breeding.

The rearing of calves by the method of group sucking, meanwhile, is widely used, for example, in England, not only in areas of extensive beef cattle breeding, but also in areas of intensive farming with fertile soils. In our Union, the first experiments in group rearing of calves under cow-nurses were carried out back in 1931 by S.G. Azarov (1, 2) in Western Siberia, in the Kargat-Sarybalyk meat farm. On the basis of these experiments, an instruction was developed for organizing the production of marketable milk and raising calves under cow-feeders in meat sovkhozes. At the same time, it was recommended to grow by sucking at the same time, depending on the milk production of the feeding cows, from 2 to 4 calves. The new method has been introduced on a number of farms. For example, more than 600 calves were raised in the Stavropol meat state farm N 96 (3); at the Salsk zootechnical experimental station - 180 (6), etc. Experiments have confirmed the economic efficiency of group suction. However, in subsequent years, the application of the method slowed down, mainly due to the low milk productivity of cows from meat state farms, which were kept on pastures almost all year round (7, 8). Due to the lack of milk, the calves needed significant additional feeding in addition to feeding, and this increased the labor intensity and complicated the technique.

In 1956, the method of raising calves by double sucking was studied by I.G. Kuzmin (4, 5) in the steppe regions of the Trans-Volga region using widely established scientific and industrial experiments. As a result of these works, a large number of collective farms and state farms of meat-dairy and dairy-meat direction in the above-mentioned districts began to successfully apply the double suction method, while consuming 500-700 liters of milk per calf, which eliminates the need for additional feeding of suckling calves with concentrates and skim. The calves raised by the sucking method are kept in the pasture during the entire pasture period together with the cows, they develop well and at the age of 7-8 months weigh 180-213 kg. At the same time, mortality and diseases of young animals are almost completely excluded.

Practice shows that the double suction method is most appropriate where cows have a milk yield per lactation of 1000-1400 liters. With a higher milk productivity, it is useful to raise calves by the method of group, round sucking. Its essence lies in the fact that under one cow-nurse during lactation, depending on the milk yield of the cows, from 5 to 15 calves are raised. Under each cow, calves are raised in groups of 3-4 shifts (rounds), and each shift of calves is sucked for 3-4 months.

In the experiments carried out by I.G. Kuzmin in 1957 in the experimental farm of the Institute of the South-East, all calves from 80 high-yielding cows of the breeding herd were raised by the method of group, round sucking under nine cows-nurses. When weaned at 100 days of age, the calves weighed 120-140 kg. Milk consumption per calf was over 500 liters. In 1958 on the collective farm "Bolshevik", Leninsky district, Moscow region, 7 cows-nurses raised 70 calves by the method of group, round sucking, that is, on average 10 calves; milk consumption per calf - 350-400 liters; live weight at weaning - 120-135 kg (at the age of about 3-3.5 months). The experiments carried out showed a significant reduction in labor costs, good development, high weight gain of calves and their complete preservation. At the same time, the costs of whole milk for raising a calf (500-700 liters) in a number of farms turned out to be clearly high and poorly acceptable for areas of intensive whole-milk cattle breeding, where only 200-300 liters per calf are consumed for manual feeding. Hence the idea arose to improve the technique of raising calves by the method of group, round sucking in such a way that the cost of milk for feeding young animals did not exceed the norms of manual feeding. A similar experiment was carried out in 1958 in the state farm "Talashkino" located in the suburban area, Smolensk region. The heads of the state farm and the Smolensk regional agricultural administration reacted with great interest to the formulation of scientific and production experience and rendered great assistance to the researchers.

Before the start of the experiment, the principles of the very selection of cows in the group of nurses were studied.

We tested more than 20 cows of different ages, breeds and temperaments, with a normal udder and with various defects of it and being at different months of lactation. At the end of July 1958, a group of nursing cows of 10 heads was separated, including 7 cows culled for old age and 3 hard-yielding cows. The productivity of animals for the previous lactation was 1800-2500 liters: before the transfer to suckling feeding of calves, the mother cows were already lactating (after the last calving) for an average of 80 days and they were milked 770 liters of milk. On the first round, 33 calves at the age of one or two weeks were allowed to be raised by these cows. Thus, in the first round, 7 cows raised 3 calves each, and 3 cows - 4. NN Trofimov's calf, in addition to 10 mothers and 33 calves of the first round, simultaneously served up to 15 calves in a dispensary, remote from the calf-nick to 150 m; and all the processes were carried out manually. Working time calves on the farm did not exceed 8-8.5 hours per day. In total, with the new method of raising calves, N. N. Trofimova additionally performed work on manual feeding of calves, thus replacing one milkmaid and a calf. Among the suckling calves of the first round, there were 4 heads that were so weak from birth and rickety that, according to the conclusion of the state farm specialists, the hectares were doomed to death. However, already during the first one and a half weeks of keeping them under the cow-nurses, they straightened and later grew and developed quite normally.

In our experience, in view of the fact that the farm was unfavorable for dictyocaulosis, the nursing cows were grazed together with the general herd of dairy cows, receiving feeding in the same amount as the dairy cows. Suckling calves were kept in a fenced-off enclosure during the daytime. In the first month of suckling, the calves were admitted to the cows three times a day, and starting from the second month they switched to a double admission. From the very first days of sucking, calves began to be taught to concentrated and green feed, and from the second month - to talkers from cake and oatmeal. Calves always had mineral supplements in their feeders. Pure running water was used for drinking. By the time of weaning, all the calves were accustomed to eating sufficient amounts of non-dairy feed (grass, dry concentrates, talkers). In total, during the sucking period, in addition to milk, concentrates were fed for each calf - 23 feed, units, green feed - 33 feed. units In the same amount, non-dairy feed was fed to calves raised by the manual feeding method, i.e., control ones. In mid-September, the suckers were weaned from the feeding cows and transferred to dairy-free rearing. For 80-85 days of suction, 50 kg of weight gain was obtained (600 g daily). By weaning at 100 days of age, the calves weighed on average about 80 kg.

During the first round suckling (84 days), analogous dairy cows (by age, time of last calving and milk yield for the previous and first months of the current lactation), which were in the general herd, gave 864 liters of milk each, or on average it is 10.3 liters per day. If during the sucking period the productivity of feeding cows were at the level of analogs from a dairy herd, then each calf would have 250-260 liters of milk during the sucking period (except for 30-50 liters of colostrum). With manual farming, the state farm spends 270-280 liters for each calf, and in some sections up to 380 liters of whole milk. The actual productivity of mothers, determined on the basis of the calf gain and the amount of non-dairy feed fed to the calves in addition to the sucked milk, was 1180-1230 liters during the first round, or 14-15 liters per day. ki, which is 350-370 liters of milk for each sucking calf. From this it can be seen that the suckling calves energetically "give out" to their nurses. In suckling cows, compared to those milked in the usual way, milk production increased by 30-50%.

After the end of the first round of rearing (100 days), in mid-September, a new group of calves, consisting of 31 heads, was admitted under the same feeding cows, and 20 of them at the age of 1-4 months were taken from the group of ordinary manual hauling in connection with the death that began in it, as a result of the transfer to sucking, all 20 weak calves were saved and subsequently developed quite normally. The gains were not lower than in the first round. Calves of the second round, raised by the sucking method, at the age of 3.5 to 5 months, in accordance with the development and state of health, were transferred to dairy-free rearing. At the end of the second round, 3 nursing cows were handed over for meat as culled according to their old age, one was put into operation before calving. In the third round, which takes place in conditions of winter livestock keeping, 6 remaining feeding cows raise 12 calves. At the end of the third round, the remaining 4 old nursing cows will be handed over for meat, and 2 - started before calving. After calving, in 1959, they again enter the group of feeding cows; in addition to them, new cows will be selected to replace the old ones handed over for meat. Thus, from June 1958 to December inclusively, 10 nursing cows raised 56 calves from 1-2 weeks to 100 days of age and 20 weak sick calves from the group of hand-feeding from 1-3 up to 4-5 months. In addition, a total of 7,720 liters of milk was milked from the nurses, which provided the upbringing of another 25-30 calves. The entire fetus raised by the sucking method developed normally, while in the group of hand-fed calves the mortality was 20 ° / o, the live weight of young calves at 100 days of age was 10-12 ° / e less than in suckers.

The results of the study of the method of group, tour education of calves under cows-nurses were discussed at a special meeting in the Smolensk Regional Department of Agriculture. The conference approved the method and recommended it for implementation in state and collective farms of the region. In 1959, the rearing of calves by the method of group, round sucking will be carried out in 12 state farms of the region. In the state farm "Talashkino", where the experiment was carried out, in 1959 at least 250-300 calves will be raised by the method of group, round sucking. Calculations show that the transition to the new method will make it possible to free about 25 thousand milkmaids and calves only in the central regions of the non-black earth zone of the USSR; at the same time, savings due to a decrease in the number of milkmaids alone will amount to more than 40 million rubles. in year. Experience has confirmed the indisputable high economic and economic effect of group, tour sucking, namely: labor and monetary costs of keeping the herd are significantly reduced; the output of marketable products (milk and meat, in terms of milk), the output of calves increases; their health, growth and development are improved; the milk productivity of cows-nurses increases due to the influence of the act of con-sity; the period of economic use of animals rejected due to old age and stubborn ones is lengthened; the sucking method makes it possible to receive calves of one week old, contracted from collective farmers, workers and employees, and to grow under cows-mothers on collective and state farms.

Based on past experience, the following growing technique recommendations can be made. In the group of cow-militia cows, it is necessary to select full-aged animals, first of all, from among those selected for old age or tight-bodied with a healthy udder with all four normally functioning teats. The selected cows should be calm and to some extent phlegmatic, able to completely give milk not only to their own, but also to another milkmaid. It is advisable that the cow has time to prolact at least one to two weeks before the calves are admitted.

Calves are picked up to nursing cows at a weekly two weeks of age and after they have been fed from a nipple drinker or directly under the mother with colostrum. The number of offspring should be allowed so that for each calf there is at least 3.5-4 liters of milk per day. The productivity of cows-nurses before admission is determined by control milking. During the first days of suckling, it should be checked whether the calves are sucking milk completely from the feed. If necessary, cows-kor-police should be milked. For each nursing cow, calves of approximately the same weight, of the same sex and with the same degree of appetite should be assigned. It is not recommended to admit your own calf to the nursing cow, as in this case she is less willing to get used to adoptions. For the same reason, you can not give a cow and lick its own offspring.

In the above experiment, the calves were approached by the feeding cows, who were tied to the stalls. Before the first admission of calves, the cow must stand in the room where the admission is carried out for 1-2 days in order to get used to the new environment for her. A cow willingly accepts calves when her udder is well filled with milk, therefore, before the first admission, the cow should not be milked for 10-14 hours. When submerged, the cow should be given some kind of food, preferably tasty for her. Before the first start-up, the calves are wiped in the area of \u200b\u200bthe croup, back and head with a clean cloth moistened with milk of the feeding cow. In this case, you can lightly sprinkle the calves with chops or cake. For the first time, it is more convenient for two workers to admit the calves, and they should be located on both sides of the cow to prevent possible injury. Do not confuse (tie) the hind legs of cows when letting calves go to suck. If the nursing cow has tangled legs, the calves, having completely sucked the cow for 3-5 minutes, continue to suck on the empty udder. This greatly disturbs the cow, and she begins to beat. This may injure the calves and the cow itself.

The primitive and typical livestock buildings available on farms can be adapted for keeping cows and nursing calves. On the north side of the calf shed, stalls for nursing cows are separated by grids of poles. Along the opposite side, cages for young animals are placed (4 calves in each). To avoid drafts and contact with calves from neighboring cages, the lateral partitions between the cages should be made solid, preferably from a tes. The door of the cage, made of poles, when opened, completely blocks the manure passage and forms, together with the stall, a kind of stall. At the same time, the calves get free access to their mother cow, but cannot move to the neighboring group. All internal partitions in the calf barn are made 140-150 cm high. To re-equip the calf barn for 10 feeding cows and 40 calves, 1.5 cubic meters are required. m tesa, several dozen poles; the amount of labor costs is about 15 man-days. The costs of re-equipping such a calf barn (600–1000 rubles) will pay off already in the first month of suckling due to savings on the wages of milkmaids. According to this principle, summer camps should also be equipped - sheds for the joint keeping of feeding cows and suckling calves. When equipping the premises, the following conditions must be observed: for each calf in the cage, there must be at least 1.3 square meters. m floor area; the width of the stalls for cows should be at least 220 cm to provide free, simultaneous access of 3-4 calves to the udder of the nurse; the room should be light enough, dry and there should be no drafts; the room should be periodically disinfected. In buildings equipped according to the specified method, calves and cows-nurses get used to each other within 2-3 weeks, after which they can be transferred to another room, where they can be kept in groups of 3 to 10 cows-nurses together with calves (not less than 10-12 sq. m. floor area for each cow with 3-4 suckers). In the summertime, after the nursing cows and calves have become accustomed to each other, they should be grazed together, in groups of up to 25 cows and up to 100 calves. Feeding cows should receive a complete diet with a diverse range of feeds by species. In any case, the organization and level of feeding of these cows should not be worse than those of other dairy cows on the farm. Sucker calves should be taught to eat both strong and voluminous feed from the first month of sucking. In the feeders for them, there should always be good-quality hay, succulent feed (in the first month, root crops), concentrates and mineral dressing. From the beginning of the second month of sucking, calves can be taught to talk. Along with milk, green grass is biologically complete feed for calves. Therefore, it is necessary that the suckling calves use the pastures as much as possible, grazing where possible, together with the cows as nurses. Joint grazing of calves and nursing cows is one of the most important economic advantages of the suckling method of raising calves, since one person can graze a hundred or 25 cows and 100 calves. It is very important to provide calves and cows with good-quality and timely watering.

In summer, after mutual training of calves and nursing cows, they should be grazed together, in groups of up to 25 cows and 100 calves. And only if the farm is unfavorable for invasive diseases (dictyocaulosis), foster cows can be grazed either together with the dairy herd, or separately, and for the calves, special pastures can be allocated, limited by hedges or an electric shepherd. During the stall period, wet nurses and suckers can be kept on removable or deep litter. It is only important that it be abundant and clean. It is more convenient to clean the cages and change the bedding while the calves are sucking. Calves should be kept in unheated rooms and given regular exercise in good weather. The calf should monitor the cleanliness of the udder of the cows and, if necessary, wash it. Calves should be allowed to nurse at least three times a day - morning, afternoon and evening.

The invention relates to agriculture, namely to cattle breeding. The method provides for keeping calves up to five days of age at full suckling with mothers cows, and then on twin sucking under cows-nurses up to 5-6 months of age. The method allows to increase the safety of calves, to increase the average daily gain of young animals. 3 C.p. f-ly, 1 tab.

The invention relates to agriculture, in particular to animal husbandry. A known method of raising calves during the preventive period (ed. St. USSR 1491425, class A 01 K 67/02, 1987). Within 12 hours after birth, free suckling is carried out by the calves of their mothers, then in the next three days the calves are periodically admitted to other cows, the time after calving of which does not exceed 12 hours. On the fourth day, the calves are transferred to the dispensary and fed with prefabricated colostrum and milk. The disadvantage of this method is that short-term suction is used when raising calves. Hand-drinking following suction contributes to disorders gastrointestinal tract calves, since the bacterial contamination of milk obtained directly from the udder of a cow is much lower in comparison with similar milk samples from a teat-drinker from the same animals. Closest to the proposed method is a method of raising calves under cows-nurses (Susoev E., Kudinov V. Raising calves under cows-nurses. // Dairy and beef cattle breeding. 2001. - 3. - S. 8 and 9). The cows are raised directly in the stalls. The calves are sucked under their mothers for 10 days, they are tied on a leash to the barn fence. After 10 days, the calves are weaned from their mothers and sent to the calf barn for rearing under the feeding cows. Young animals are kept in group cages. The main disadvantage of this method is the keeping of calves in group cages, which leads to the appearance of suckling calves. The claimed invention is aimed at eliminating the above-mentioned disadvantages of the known, and from its use the following result can be obtained: increasing the safety of calves; an increase in the average daily gain of young stock; a number of labor processes are excluded (milking cows, processing and preparation of milk and its distribution). This is achieved due to the fact that calves up to five days of age are kept in full suckling with cows-mothers, then on coupled sucking with cows-nurses. Calves are trained to feed cows in specialized boxes. From the age of one month, young animals with cows-nurses are transferred to free-range maintenance, with the beginning of the grazing season they graze. The method is carried out as follows. Pregnant cows, two days before calving, are transferred to a specialized box, which consists of a section for keeping a nursing cow (3 x 3 m) and two adjacent cages (1 x 3 m) for individual keeping of calves. The section and the cages are equipped with feeders and drinkers. The doors to the individual cages open inward to prevent the calves from leaving on their own. The floors in the nursery box are concrete, wooden in the cages, straw or sawdust is used as bedding. In the first five days of life, that is, the entire colostrum period, the calves are sucked under the mother cows, on the sixth of them, sex-homogeneous pairs are formed and left with the cow-nurse. At the same time, less productive cows are used as nurses, and the best ones are transferred to a dairy herd. The calves, together with the cow-nurse, are kept in specialized boxes up to one month of age: cows in tied sections, calves in individual cages. This content contributes to the natural extinction of their increased excitability during sucking and prevents the appearance of sucking calves in the herd. In the first 15 days, young animals are admitted to nursing cows 4-5 times a day, and then 3 times. After a month, calves and cows-nurses are transferred to joint free-range housing in a common section. In the section, a corral is arranged, fenced off by poles at a height of 70-75 centimeters from the floor. This eliminates the possibility of cows moving to calves and does not interfere with the access of the calves to the feeding cows. With the beginning of the grazing season, young animals with cows-nurses graze on natural pastures. Young animals are raised on twin suckling under cows-nurses up to 5-6 months of age. The advantage of the suckling method of rearing is that young animals receive high-quality milk of the required temperature, not contaminated with microbes and possessing high immune properties; a number of labor-intensive processes... The proposed method of rearing calves on paired suction under cow-nurses helps to increase the safety of calves, increase the energy of growth and development, eliminate a number of labor-intensive processes. Example. In the educational and experimental farm of the Penza State Agricultural Academy, two groups of calves were formed on the basis of analogs: experimental and control. The experimental group of calves was raised on twin suckling under cows-nurses up to 6 months of age, the control group with manual feeding. The results are presented in the table.

Claim

1. A method of rearing young stock on suckling under cows-nurses, characterized in that up to five days of age, calves are kept on full suckling with mothers cows, then they form pairs that are homogeneous on the floor and are raised on twin suckers under cows-nurses. 2. The method of growing young animals according to claim 1, characterized in that less productive cows are used as feed cows. 3. A method of rearing young animals according to claim 1, characterized in that the training of calves to cow-nurses is carried out in specialized boxes for a month, after which they are transferred to free-range maintenance. 4. A method of raising young animals according to claim 1, characterized in that, with the beginning of the grazing season, young animals, together with the cows, are grazed on pastures.

REPUBLICAN UNITARY ENTERPRISE

"SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CENTER OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY

SCIENCES OF BELARUS ON LIVESTOCK "

FOR GROWING A YOUNG CHILD ON A SUCTION

UP TO 6-8 MONTHS AGE

Zhodino 2008

UDC 636.2.083.37

Recommendations for growing young stock up to 6-8 months of age were developed researchers RUE "Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Livestock": candidate of agricultural sciences. Sciences, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences sciences, professor, candidate of vet. sciences, candidates with. x. Sciences:, postgraduate student, applicant

Approved by the Scientific Council of the RUE “Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Livestock” (minutes of November 13, 2007).

Considered and approved at a meeting of the section of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Main Directorate for the Intensification of Livestock and Food, the Main Directorate of Veterinary Medicine of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (minutes of 01.01.01).

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………… .4

1 Technology of keeping beef cattle …………………………………………………… ..5

1.1 Technological solution of premises …………………………………………………… 5

1.2 Technology of reproduction in a herd of beef cattle ……………………………………… ..7

1.3 The main technological elements for servicing beef cattle ……………… ..7

1.4 Use of cultivated and improved natural

pastures in beef cattle breeding ……………………………………………………………… .8

2. Feeding beef cattle ………………………………………………………………… ..9

2.1 Feeding cows ……………………………………………………………………… .. 9

2.2 Feeding of young stock during the suckling period ……………………………………………… .10

3 Veterinary and sanitary measures ……………………………………………………… 14

INTRODUCTION

At present, beef production is mainly carried out through the breeding of black-and-white cattle (up to 97%), the decrease in the number of which until 2003 led to a significant reduction in the production of products obtained from them. Therefore, beef cattle breeding should become an important additional source of beef production in many farms of the republic, which is confirmed by world practice. At present, countries where beef cattle breeding is widely developed, occupy 39% of its total population in livestock, but produce 53% of the world's beef. In terms of natural and climatic conditions, not better than in Belarus, beef cattle breeding has become widespread in England, Germany, Hungary, Canada (75% of the total livestock) and other countries.

In our republic, the task of increasing the production of high-quality beef can be largely solved by creating herds of beef cattle on the basis of crossing low-yielding dairy cattle with specialized bulls. meat breeds... The solution to this problem will be facilitated by the fact that the development of beef cattle breeding does not require large investments, since it can be kept in the simplest buildings without much mechanization, mainly on less scarce and less expensive green, juicy and roughage forages with low costs of concentrates ...

For a more effective development of the industry, which is so necessary for the republic, special attention should be paid to the main basis - pedigree beef cattle breeding, which can also be a source of foreign exchange, since in the pre-perestroika time Belarus was traditionally a supplier of pedigree young animals to other countries.

Beef cattle are distinguished by high productive qualities: calves per 100 queens - 90 heads (in foreign practice, it is considered justified to deal with beef cattle when 70-75 heads per 100 queens); the average daily gain of calves on suckling under mothers is 850-900 g, calves after weaning on growing up - 1200, feed costs per 1 kg of gain, taking into account feeding of cows, are 15-17 units, slaughter yield - 60-62%, content in carcass pulp - 82%.

Most beef breeds are early maturing (at a young age they reach a high degree of development), but there are also long-growing ones (they show high growth energy for a long time). Beef cattle typically have a wide barrel-shaped body with well-developed muscles (especially the neck, shoulder blades, pelvis and ham).

The carcass has fewer bones and tendons, more pulp, heavier cut. They have up to 6 kg of pulp per 1 kg of bones, and 3.5-4 in dairy breeds. Beef animals start at a later age? And they store fat in the body less intensively. In them, in the total mass of fat, intermuscular and intramuscular fat predominates, which gives the beef marbling, juiciness, high taste and culinary properties, while in dairy breeds, watering and fat on internal organs are of little use for food. Beef of meat breeds surpasses meat of dairy breeds in biological usefulness and taste (taste, aroma, tenderness, richness).

During the period of intensive industrial cultivation, the technology of agricultural production changes dramatically, which, in turn, sets new requirements for domestic animals in the direction of their improvement. This is one of the main reasons for the transformation of existing and breeding of new types and lines of specialized livestock in the Republic of Belarus, taking into account the natural and climatic conditions of each region. Heavy breeds (Charolais, Maine-Anjou) can be raised in areas where pastures have a solid base, lighter breeds such as Hereford, Aberdeen Angus, Limousin - on pastures, the basis of which is often peat.

The economic efficiency of beef production depends on how high the selection and genetic potential of animals of specialized meat breeds bred in our country, their resistance, level of productivity, growth energy and quality of beef. In this regard, there is a need to improve the breeds of beef cattle, the breeding bulls of which will be used to create herds of beef cattle based on crossing with low-productive broodstock of dairy breeds in order to obtain animals of a new genotype that will meet the requirements of a particular region of the country.

Beef cattle breeding is less capital-intensive and energy-intensive than other branches of animal husbandry. It does not require capital structures and complex means mechanization, excludes milking and manual feeding of calves. Animals of meat breeds are kept in light rooms, on walking areas with sheds, prefer a deep bed. The structure of their diet is simpler, it is much cheaper in cost than for other types of animals. Beef cattle are less labor-consuming, which is very important now, in a period of personnel shortage. He reacts without much stress to the improvement of technology.

When forming herds of beef cattle, the issues of developing technological methods of keeping animals, especially methods of raising calves on suction according to the principle of “cow-calf”, are important and urgent. Studying the issues of growth and development of young animals from birth to weaning, their full-fledged feeding in stall and grazing periods are of great practical importance. The further productivity of adult animals and the economic efficiency of beef production depend on how correctly the young animals will be raised during the suckling period up to 6-8 months of age.

1 Technology of keeping beef cattle

1.1 Technological solution of premises

The most effective system of keeping beef cows and dairy cows converted to beef cattle breeding technology in winter is loose on a deep, permanent bedding. The formation of the litter should be started in August-September, for which a layer of dry straw 25-30 cm thick is laid on the floor in the room. After placing in the stall, the litter is renewed as it gets dirty. For the rest of animals on the walking-fodder area, adobe mounds with a height of at least 1 m and a width of 10-12 m should be arranged, with the calculation of 2-2.5 m2 of area per cow. The formation of mounds must be carried out in the summer, while the layout of the area should be such that would ensure the flow of water from the sites. In winter, the mounds are periodically underlain by straw.

During the grazing period, animals are kept in summer camps, where sheds and feeding stations are equipped for the calves, or in premises if they are located near pastures. Watering is carried out from natural reservoirs or water is brought to the pasture, as in dairy cattle breeding.

To improve the efficiency of beef cattle breeding, it is necessary that the amount of capital investments per head of the main herd be small, which is facilitated by the maximum use of cheap premises. Also in this regard, the reconstruction of empty old premises presents great opportunities. The scheme of the reconstructed old premise for the maternity ward is shown for example in

figure 1.

The house is 88 m long and 12 m wide, with a usable area of \u200b\u200b747 m2, intended for keeping 90 cows with calves before weaning. The room is divided along its entire length by an aft passage, along which there are feeders on both sides. The entire building is divided into six sections, each of which can contain 15 cows and calves. Calf feeders are installed between the sections. Each section has exits to the walk. There are three doors on the front sides of the building: the central one is for the delivery of feed, the side doors are for the bulldozer to drive in when removing manure. The tambours are equipped with disinfectants.

stripping ".

During the period of artificial insemination, the duties of timely identification and selection of cows and heifers in hunting are assigned to herdsmen, who are paid additional payment for fruitful insemination of animals in the first two months after calving.

At the end of the grazing period, the entire flock is checked for pregnancy by the rectal method. Unsteady cows and heifers are immediately discarded and handed over for meat, since they are well-fed at this time, and it is economically inexpedient to leave them for stall keeping.

1.3 The main technological elements in the service of beef cattle

1. Distribution of feed during the stall period is carried out in the premises in the feeders by means of a mobile feed dispenser or using draft force manually. In summer, all livestock use only pasture feed. Livestock at this time can be kept in camps near the pasture.

2. Watering of animals during the stall period is carried out in the walking areas, where containers or auto-drinkers with electric heating AGK-4 are installed and where water columns insulated for the winter are connected. In summer, animals can use the water of natural reservoirs on pastures or water is brought in, as in dairy cattle breeding;

3. Cleaning of manure in the premises is carried out by a bulldozer 2 times a year: before the winter period and at the end of the stall keeping.

1.4 The use of cultivated and enhanced natural

pastures in beef cattle breeding

Provision of highly productive hayfields and pastures of large cattle meat productivity is one of the main conditions for obtaining normatively pure livestock products. The creation of cultivated fodder lands for beef cattle should be one of the priority activities.

Improved natural and cultivated pastures, when properly created, maintained and used properly, have high sustainable productivity and should become the main source of herbal feed for commercial beef herds.

Highly productive pastures provide the cheapest feed for cattle, although the yield of nutrients when grazing forage crops is lower than when harvesting them for hay, silage and haylage. However, this difference, as a rule, does not compensate for the additional costs of cleaning, storing and feeding them to livestock.

In summer, if possible, all beef cattle (with the exception of fattening livestock) should be grazed on natural, improved and cultivated pastures.

The herd of cows with calves on suction should not exceed 100 cows and the same number of calves (the difference in the age of the calves is up to 3 months). Pastures allocated for beef cattle must fully satisfy the animal's nutritional requirements and provide high average daily gains throughout the entire period.

Their rational use is of great importance in increasing the efficiency of cultivated pastures. The free grazing of beef cattle should be replaced by a corral.

The basis for the correct maintenance of beef cattle and the use of cultivated pastures is the systemic grazing of animals. Pastures are divided into separate sections - pens, more or less the same in terms of green mass, capable of providing the herd with fodder for 5 days. It is recommended to have 6-8 pens so that the grass on the first paddock can recover as the latter is used.

For enclosing the corrals, you can use wooden or reinforced concrete poles, which are installed at a distance of 5-6 m. The barbed galvanized wire is stretched in 4 rows with a distance of 25-30 cm. Metal rods with a diameter of 5-6 are fastened across the stretched threads in the middle of the spans between the posts. mm, which provides sufficient strength of the fence. Instead of wire, you can use wooden poles or thorny hedges.

The pens are grazed by livestock one by one. When one cycle of use is completed, grazing is started with the first corral. Animals graze on a small area of \u200b\u200bpasture, they make fuller use of the herbage, eating not only the most delicious and valuable legumes and cereals, but also a significant part of the forbs.

Systemic use provides for the rest of the herbs after grazing for 25-30 days, which is necessary for the formation of aftermath. When grazing in a pen for 3-5 days, beef cattle willingly and abundantly eats grass for the first days, and subsequently the return of the pen decreases. Therefore, the division of large corrals of cultural pasture into areas of one-day grazing contributes to more effective use grass stand.

A further intensification of the system of keeping beef cattle and the use of one-day pens is the use of portioned grazing. With such grazing, animals do not immediately use the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe corral; they are driven 2-4 times a day to areas with fresh grass. The allocation of daily pasture norms and their portioned grazing by beef cattle is carried out with the help of an electric fence, which the shepherd carries several times during the day as the grass is grazed. Particularly effective is the portion grazing of the overgrown grass stand in the first and second cycles, when partially emerged cereal grasses are worse eaten by animals.

With a shortage of pasture feed, when the average daily gain in live weight in calves is below 700 g, it is necessary to organize feeding of young animals with concentrated and green feed. To do this, on the pasture near the watering hole, a corral with a shady canopy for the rest of the calves is equipped, where feeders and drinkers are placed. Calves have access to feed during the hot part of the day and during the night's rest through the manholes that prevent the passage of the cows.

To provide animals with water in pens on pastures, you can use mobile drinkers. If there are water sources, they arrange a watering hole directly on the pasture. Water is pumped into containers, from which it flows by gravity through pipes into group drinking bowls installed in pens. A watering hole for animals - 2-3 times a day, and even more often in the hot season, when the grass dries up.

The appetite of livestock is stimulated by feeding salt. For this, in certain places of the corrals, a sufficient supply of it is created.

Additional buildings are not required for calving during the grazing period. On the day of calving, it is advisable to leave the cow in the summer camp. From the second day, a group of fresh cows with calves are grazed near the campsites, and from the fifth or sixth day they are united into a common herd.

2 Feeding beef cattle

The peculiarities of the organization of feeding of beef cattle are associated with the reproduction of the herd and the raising of calves according to the "cow-calf" system. The latter provides for seasonal (winter, early spring or spring) offspring at round calving, rearing calves for suckling up to 6-8 months of age, followed by rearing and fattening of the young after weaning.

Beef cattle are able to efficiently use pastures and feed high in fiber.

2.1 Feeding the cows

Since the only product of a beef cow is a calf, the feed consumption per cow and calf is transferred per unit of gain in live weight of the young. Taking this into account, the consumption of feed for the growth of young animals in beef cattle is much higher than in dairy cattle. Beef cattle can use large quantities of grass, straw, silage, haylage, but the rations should contain the right amount of all essential nutrients, as well as minerals and vitamins. This will maximize feed gains. Consequently, for the rational management of the industry, a solid and cheap forage base, optimization of feeding of broodstock and all-round increase in the productivity of young stock at all age periods, especially up to 8 months of age, is needed.

For the broodstock, the most appropriate is a moderate level of feeding with a predominant content in the diets of roughage and succulent feed with concentrates feeding within the limits of norms that ensure sufficient fatness, normal reproductive functions and milk production. An increased level of feeding does not have a positive effect on the productivity of animals, but it contributes to an increase in live weight due to excessive deposition of fat in the body and leads to an increase in the cost of production. Feeding rates for cows depend on live weight and their physiological state. Considering that the culling of the broodstock is expected to be quite high and there will be a large number of young cows in the herd, the feeding rates in comparison with the existing ones should be increased by 5-10%.

When feeding beef cows, it is necessary to take into account the physiological state of the animal (Table 1). First of all, it is important to organize a full-fledged feeding of dry pregnant cows 2 months before calving, since during this period there is an increased growth of the fetus, and insufficient intake of nutrients in the mother's body can cause the birth of underdeveloped calves. In addition, the quality composition of colostrum depends on the level of feeding.

Table 1 - approximate rations for feeding cows with round rearing

Types of feed	pregnant and new. cows with suckling calves up to 12 days old. age	Cows with suckling calves from 12 days old up to 2.5 months age	Cows with suckling calves from 2.5 to age

Spring straw, kg
Herb haylage, kg
Corn silage, kg
Grass, kg
Concentrates, kg
Table salt, g
Feed phosphate, g
The diet contains: feed units
digestible protein, g
dry matter, kg
exchange energy, MJ

Feeding of lactating cows during the winter stall period should be differentiated not only by live weight, but also by the lactation period. This is especially true for the first 4 months of rearing a calf on suckling, when their growth and development are in direct proportion to the milk production of their mothers. The main feed for adult cattle in winter is hay, silage, haylage, straw and concentrates, in summer - grass from cereal-legume mixtures.

In the summer, the grass of artificial and natural pastures is widely used. As a rule, during the entire pasture period, with good herbage, livestock fully satisfy their nutritional needs at the expense of green fodder; concentrated fodder is not fed. At this time, the daily ration of cows and heifers should consist of 45-55 kg of grass. Only deep-bed and fresh-calf cows are given concentrates during the stall period.

2.2 Feeding young stock during the suckling period

The productivity and economic efficiency of beef cattle breeding is determined by the yield of young animals, indicators of their growth and development before weaning. In beef cattle breeding, raising calves under cows up to 6-8 months of age is one of the most important periods. Despite the fact that in the first 3-4 months after birth, the main food of calves is mother's milk and their development is directly dependent on the milk production of cows, feeding is very important, especially in the subsequent period of suckling. At the same time, the quantitative and qualitative composition of the feed used for feeding the calves depends on the period of calving, the milk production of the mothers and the age of the calves (Tables 2, 3, 4).

Table 2 - Scheme of feeding calves on suction during autumn-winter calving of cows

to obtain average daily gains of 800-850 g.

	Age, months

Live weight at the end of the period, kg
milk, kg
cereal-legume hay, kg
corn silage, kg
pasture grass, kg
seeded grass, kg
concentrates (mixture), kg
table salt, g
feed phosphate, g
In the diet contains: dry matter, kg
feed units
exchange energy, MJ
digestible protein, g

Table 3 - Scheme of feeding calves on suction during winter-spring calving of cows

In a newborn calf, the mouth and nostrils are cleared of birth mucus. If the umbilical cord is not broken, it is cut off with clean scissors disinfected in a carbolic solution at a distance of 10-12 cm from the calf's abdomen. The end of the umbilical cord is disinfected. Then the calf is wiped dry with a clean towel, wrapped in burlap and taken to a dispensary, where it is placed in an individual cage.

In some farms, the mother is allowed to lick the calf. This promotes the release of the placenta and stimulates the mammary gland in the cow, as well as improves respiration and circulation in the calf.

Calves can be kept in separate cages 1.2-1.4 m long, 1 m wide and 1 m high. The bottom of the cage should be raised 20-25 cm above the calf's floor and have slots for urine drainage. The floor of the cage is covered with a thick layer of clean, dry straw. The air temperature in the dispensary should be 8-10 ° C.

After the calf is dry, it is weighed, tagged and nicknamed. At the age of 10-15 days, calves from the dispensary are transferred to separate cells of the common calf barn. From one month old, healthy calves can be kept in group cages.

Depending on the direction of farms, three methods of raising young animals are used:

method of manual feeding according to accepted and farm schemes;
raising calves under cows-nurses by the method of shift-group sucking;
bosot-weaning method of growing under cows up to 7-8 months of age.

The latter method is used only on farms with beef cattle breeding.

When raising calves by artificial feeding, about an hour after calving, the cows are milked and the calf is immediately given colostrum. Colostrum cooled below 36-38 ° is heated by lowering a bucket of colostrum into hot water.

The calves are watered as many times as the cow is milked, and at the same hours. Colostrum is an indispensable food for calves. It contains a large amount of proteins, minerals and vitamins, as well as special so-called immune substances. They have protective properties and contribute to the body's resistance against various diseases.

In addition, colostrum, acting as a laxative on the intestines, frees it from the original feces. Drinking cold colostrum causes diarrhea and other intestinal diseases in calves.

On the first day, the calf is given to each dacha from 0.6 to 0.9 kg of colostrum, on the following days up to 1-1.5 kg, large healthy calves weighing 35-45 kg at birth, the amount of colostrum is increased to 2 kg per every summer cottage. Depending on the live weight, the calf is fed 6-10 kg of colostrum per day. The daily milk supply in the first 10-15 days should be 1 / 5-1 / 6 of the live weight of the calf.

If it is sick or gives poor quality milk, the calf is given milk from another cow that calves at the same time.

Calves are fed with mother's milk until 10 days of age, and then transferred to mixed milk from healthy cows.

Beginning from the age of five, calves should be given 0.5 liters of boiled warm water (the temperature of fresh milk) one hour before drinking milk, which is especially important in case of diarrhea, when milk supply is reduced and the amount of water is increased. Calves should be fed from special 2-liter glass bottles or aluminum mugs with a teat.

From 10-15 days of age, calves are taught to eat hay. In some advanced farms, calves are trained to hay from the fifth day of life. The best hay for calves is legumes (clover, alfalfa, vetch, sainfoin), harvested before flowering or at the very beginning of flowering. From 20 days of age, the calves are given small quantities of concentrates, first 50 g per head, then the dacha is gradually increased. The best concentrated feed for calves are wheat bran, oatmeal and flaxseed meal.

Skim milk begins to be given no earlier than 3 weeks of age, gradually replacing it with whole milk.

From the second month they give juicy feed, starting from 100-200 g per day. Silage, red carrots, beets, potatoes are most useful for young animals. Until 6 months of age, root crops are given finely cut, and potatoes are boiled.

The maize silage fed to the young should be of the highest quality. Young stock raised on silage grows strong and at the age of one year on average reaches 230-240 kg of live weight, heifers by the period of the first mating weigh 300-320 kg, and castrated bull calves at the age of 16-18 months - 340-350 kg.

Calves should be given daily mineral supplements in the form of a mixture of chalk, bone meal and table salt, starting at 10 g per day.

Mineral feed is fed in a mixture with concentrates. By 8-10 months of age, calves, the amount of mineral feed is brought to 35-40 g per day.

The concentrates are initially fed to the calves in the form of a jelly jelly.

It is useful to give the calves a bean hay infusion. It is necessary to add the infusion to milk or a chatterbox, be sure to warm it up before feeding. You can use the prepared infusion only during the day. Hay infusion is given to calves from 1 to 4-6 months of age.

In winter, from the first days of life (on the 2-3rd day), the calves are allowed to run into the aisles of the calf shed or special arenas for 15-20 minutes. From 8-10 days of age, in good weather in the middle of the day (from 10-12 hours), the calves are released into the pens near the calf shed, first for 10-15 minutes and, gradually increasing the time of walking, by one and a half to two months, the duration of walks is brought to 1, 5-2 hours. It is necessary to ensure that the calves do not lie on the frozen ground during the walk.

Care must be taken to monitor the cleanliness of the calf skin Twice a day they are brushed and the dirty areas are washed. All work is carried out at a strictly defined time.

The method of raising calves in unheated rooms deserves great attention... In this method, newborn calves are transferred in winter to an unheated calf barn and placed in individual cages with abundant bedding. 7-8 kg of dry, clean straw is used for the litter. The top layer of the litter is changed 2-3 times a day, and the entire litter is changed after 20-25 days.

Good nutrition, walks in the fresh air in good weather from the first days of life, low temperature of the calf barn contribute to an intensive metabolism and increased vital activity of the body. Young growth develops strong and strong and later turns into highly productive animals of strong constitution.

The main conditions for raising calves in an unheated room are an uninterrupted supply of feed, abundant bedding, maintaining dry and clean air in the calf shed and daily calf walks.

In a number of farms, group drinkers are used for feeding milk to calves. For this, calves of milk age from 15-20 days to 6 months are kept in groups of 15-18 heads (in accordance with the number of places at the group drinker). Calves are watered in a special room - "dining room" from a group drinker. Autodrinkers for water are also installed here. With this method of calf feeding, the productivity of the calves is significantly increased - the calf can serve up to 60 calves instead of 25-30 with individual feeding. Feeding time per calf is reduced to 5 minutes. The cleaning of the calf barn is greatly facilitated, since manure and slurry accumulate mainly in the aft house of the calf barn.

Shift-group rearing of calves under cows-feeders should be used in dairy farming along with other methods of rearing young animals. Its essence lies in the fact that a group of feeding cows is isolated on the farm, about 8-12% of the total number of cows, and, depending on their milk productivity, 7-12 calves are raised under each feeding cow for lactation in 3— 4 rounds, each round lasting 80-90 days. One cow feeds four calves at the same time. At a drinking rate of 300 kg of whole milk per calf, 1200 kg of milk should go for four calves. A cow can give this amount of milk in 1-3 months of lactation. Then the calves are removed from the suction, transferred to dairy-free rearing, and the second group of calves is admitted to the feeding cow after the colostrum period. After the second group of calves, the nursing cow feeds the third, and sometimes the fourth group. Depending on the milk production of the feeding cow, the number of calves in each subsequent round can be reduced and brought to three or two heads. At the end of lactation, the nurse sometimes raises one calf.

Calves for rearing under one cow should be selected of the same age, equal in weight and development.

Feeding cows should be healthy, calm disposition, have good body condition and normal udders. Such cows willingly accept other people's calves. You can transfer a cow to a nurse at any month of lactation, but it is best at the beginning of it, on the 5-10th day. New cows are more willing to accept other people's calves. It is more profitable to use liquid milk cows as nurses, since the low fat content of milk does not interfere with the growth and development of the calf.

Before the first feeding of the calves, the nursing cow should not be milked for 10-12 hours. The cow allows calves to come in better when the udder is full. Before allowing the calves, the udder of the nursing cow is washed and massaged, the first streams of milk are removed. This milk is used to moisten the calf's head, back, rump and tail root so that the cow will better accept it. The whole group (2-4 calves) can be admitted to the cows of a calm disposition at once, to the obstinate nurses the calves are admitted to the first feeding one by one, one after the other. For the first time, the calves should be helped to take the teat into their mouth. Less energetic calves should be taught to the rear teats of the udder, as they have more milk. In 3-4 days the calves get used to certain teats. Milk remaining in the udder after feeding should be milked as burnt milk in the udder can cause stomach upset in calves the next time they feed. From 10 to 12 days of age, calves are taught to succulent and coarse feed so that they are prepared for dairy-free feeding for weaning. From this age, calves should be given raw water.

It is advisable to wean calves from nursing cows when they weigh about 2.5-3 times more than at birth. The first days after weaning, calves raised under one breeder cow should be kept in the same cage or section to avoid weight loss.

In order for a cow to lose the habit of calves, she is milked by hand 1-2 times after weaning, and then she willingly accepts the next group of calves.

In the summer, nursing cows and calves are grazed together. To do this, select groups of 25-30 cows and 100-120 calves.

The introduction of the method of shift-group sucking of calves increases the productivity of the calves. With this method of raising young animals, one calf house serves 15-17 cows and 50-65 calves, while when raising young animals by artificial feeding, such a livestock of animals requires a milkmaid and two calves. Thus, labor costs are reduced by 3 times, therefore, the cost of raising young animals is reduced.

When raising calves under cow-nurses, it is not necessary to heat milk, pour it into drinkers, solder milk for calves, wash, disinfect and remove milk dishes. Hand-fed calves often suffer from gastrointestinal problems caused by milk contamination. Calves raised on suckling rarely get sick, since the milk that they suck directly from the udder of the cow has bactericidal properties that prevent the development of microbes and increase the acidity of milk.

Calves grow well on suction and give high weight gain... Deaths with this calf rearing method are very rare. Calves almost never have gastrointestinal diseases. Feeding cows, especially first-calf heifers, develop well udders, and their milk productivity increases in subsequent lactations.

In meat herds, calves are raised in a coupled, one-piece method, up to 7-8 months of age, two or more calves, under a cow-nurse. Usually by this age young animals reach 200-220 kg of weight. Bychkov, intended for delivery for meat, at the age of 2-3 months are castrated by the method of prof. Bayburttsyan. The essence of this method is that during castration, the parenchyma of the testes is removed, leaving their appendages and the connective tissue base. This ensures the preservation of the hormonal function of the gonads of the animal and contributes to its better growth and development. Bulls castrated by this method, when they reach 2 years of age, give 10% more weight gain compared to animals castrated in the usual way.

After weaning, castrated bulls are overexposed for one winter, and during the next summer they are fattened in feeding and fattening herds. By the fall of next year, they reach 350-400 kg of live weight and they are handed over for meat. Heifers at 18 months of age are sent to a replacement herd for artificial insemination.

Feeding and keeping calves in the post-milk period

In the post-milk period, calves are divided into groups by sex and age for loose housing. In summer, young animals should be kept in open-type pens equipped with sheds, feeders and drinking bowls. From now on, calves need to be fed ad libitum with silage, green feed, adding concentrates and mineral feed.

6 months after the birth of calves, you can use approximately the following feeding standards for young calves up to 28 months of age.

During this period, feeding of young animals should be organized in such a way as to obtain the planned gain and raise healthy animals of the desired type.

The live weight and weight gain of young animals at different age periods are planned based on the live weight of cows at complete growth. Average live weight of cows in a herd is taken into account for 2-3 years.

Well-developed heifers should be mated no later than 18 months of age, when they reach a live weight of 290-340 kg in breeding farms (75% of the weight of cows - class I requirements level) and 250-290 kg on commercial farms (class II requirements level ). In order to prepare heifers for calving 2-3 months before calving, they should be assigned to a milkmaid.

A significant number of owners of private household plots and peasant farms today specialize in raising calves. The process of raising young cattle should be aimed at obtaining strong young animals, which will further show high productivity (dairy, meat).

To obtain high productivity when raising calves, owners of private household plots and peasant farms must create optimal conditions for feeding and housing for normal growth and development.

Depending on the direction of use (dairy or beef cattle), two types of calf keeping are adopted in Russia. In the context of large farms group keeping is practiced, in conditions of private household plots preference is given to individual cultivation. Sometimes for calves fed for meat, it is practiced to raise calves under cows-feeders.

Group rearing of calves.

In dairy cattle breeding, a newborn calf is kept in an individual cage for the first two weeks (14 days) after calving, then the calves are transferred to group cages of 5-10 heads. Why are special sections made in the calf house. Every day, in order to maintain an optimal microclimate in the calf house, the owners of private farms or service personnel carry out mechanical cleaning of manure in the cages, which is scrapped into the manure passage with a scraper and from there is removed to the manure storage. After the manure has been removed, the wood floors are sprinkled with sawdust or straw.

Next to the calf house, a walking area is arranged, on which a canopy from the sun and rain is equipped. Calves over 2 months of age during the grazing period are daily released into the pen, where there should be free access to water, hay and green mass.

Groups of calves are formed according to age to facilitate feeding. As they grow older, they are transferred from smaller aviaries to older ones, or to older calf houses.

This method of rearing requires a lot of physical labor from calves, it is inconvenient for veterinary specialists when carrying out antiepizootic measures, fortification, etc.

Individual cultivation.

When this method rearing calves immediately after they dry under an infrared lamp, they are placed in an individual house with a small open-air enclosure ( cold method cultivation). It is better to place houses under a canopy, the walls are covered with foil during cold weather. For the construction of houses, wood is used, the height of the house is up to 1.5 meters, the floor area is 2-3 meters. Sawdust is poured at the bottom of the floor, on which straw is placed. Individual rearing of calves has an undoubted advantage over group rearing:

Calves grow healthier with increased body resistance.
The spread of infectious diseases of young animals (colibacillosis, salmonellosis, diplococcal infection) is prevented.
Optimal zoohygienic conditions are created (irradiation with ultraviolet rays, clean air, etc.).
Control by specialists is facilitated.

Raising calves under cows.

With this method, one cow can raise 2 to 4 calves. With this method, the calves are placed in compartments next to the stall of the nursing cow and are admitted to her 3 times a day. At the same time, the cow should not have mastitis, the productivity of the cow should be at least 2 thousand liters, have a good maternal instinct.

This method is especially attractive in those farms where calves suffer from massive diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. When raising calves under a cow, calves care is simplified, feed costs are reduced, and we gain up to 650 g per day. When raising calves under a cow, proper feeding is necessary.

Raising calves depending on their direction.

Depending on the planned direction of cultivation - dairy, meat or combined cultivation, the appropriate type of feeding is used. For heifers of dairy and combined productivity, when feeding, it is necessary to introduce into the feeding ration as much coarse, juicy feed as possible, and give concentrated feed in moderation. With such a voluminous type of feeding, the heifers are formed with an increased level of metabolism, they develop especially well the organs of digestion, respiration, etc. ultimately contributes to the higher milk production of a heifer-raised cow.

For more information on digestion in calves, see our article - "".

When raising calves of beef breeds, owners of private household plots and peasant farms, on the contrary, should strive to organize feeding in such a way that in the diet, in terms of nutritional value, the largest amount is accounted for by feed rich in protein (protein) - concentrated feed, cake and meal. This type of feeding of calves promotes their intensive growth and early maturity. In the summer, especially in the zones of beef cattle breeding, beef cattle are grazed on good steppe cereal-forb pastures; in winter, it is more expedient to feed as much concentrates and other high-protein fodder as possible (cake, meal). The most intensive growth in beef calves occurs up to 8 months of age. Considering that at the age of one to 15 months, beef calves have the ability to accumulate a large amount of muscle tissue with moderate fat deposition.

Calving the cow.

Pregnancy (pregnancy) in a cow lasts 9 months. Of particular importance for the development of the fetus is full feeding of a pregnant cow in the first and last quarters of pregnancy. In the first quarter of pregnancy, the vitality of the body is formed in the calf, and in its last period the size and body weight of the calf grows especially rapidly - up to 300-400g. Over the last two months of the dry period, the calf's body weight has increased by 2/3. 1.5-2 months before calving, the owners of private household plots and peasant farms start the cow on a dry stand (dry period). A cow's diet during the dry period should include 6-8 kg of good legume-cereal hay, 15 kg of good quality silage or 8-10 kg of haylage, 5-10 kg of root crops and 2 kg of concentrates. In summer, the diet is based on green food. To avoid obesity of dry cows, feeding them should be sufficient, but not excessive. Obesity in cows leads to difficult births and weak calves.

Calving and receiving a calf. Owners of private household plots and peasant farms judge about the approach of a cow by calving by the following signs: relaxation of the ligaments in the pelvic and tail root area, swelling of the external genital organs, the genital gap increases in size, the cow lies most of the time, shows anxiety, often looks at the stomach. At the beginning of calving, the cow develops periodic attempts. Having found these signs, cow owners need to prepare to receive a calf. Contaminated litter is replaced.

The newborn calf is taken on a clean burlap. Immediately after the birth of the calf, remove mucus from its nostrils, mouth and ears with a clean towel or gauze napkin, wipe its lips and nasal mirror. The umbilical cord that did not break off at the hotel is cut off with scissors at a distance of 10-15 cm from the belly of the calf and treated with iodine tincture or a solution of potassium permanganate. Then we put the calf on the bed closer to the cow's head so that she can lick it. When licking a calf, the cow cleans its body of mucus well, massages it, which has a positive effect on blood circulation and respiration. Additional information can be obtained in our article - "", "".

Usually, after birth, calves begin to suckle their mother 2.5-3 hours later.

Raising calves of dairy and mixed breeds.

Colostrum growing period. This rearing period in calves lasts 7-10 days. The first time a calf should receive colostrum within 30-60 minutes of birth. In the future, within 3-5 days, warm colostrum in the amount of 1.5-2 liters is fed to calves 3-4 times a day. In no case should you feed colostrum from cows that are sick or have had mastitis. Colostrum should never be given from cows with clear signs metabolic disorders, as well as patients with infectious diseases. In the absence of colostrum, it is replaced with fresh milk from a healthy, recently calved cow with the addition of fresh chicken eggs from chickens from their backyard. From 3-5 days of age, the calves are given boiled water cooled to the temperature of fresh milk (one hour before feeding or after the same interval after it). From one week of age, the calf is taught to eat hay. For this, hay is harvested from small-stemmed plants. If the cages in the calf shed are not equipped with roughage feeders, then the bunches of hay are suspended in the cages on strings. From 10-12 days of age, dry scattered or granular concentrates are placed in the feeders for calves, which are mixed with an appropriate amount of mineral dressings. The cages in the calf shed must be kept clean. The litter contaminated with calf secretions is replaced with fresh ones. Cell walls are cleared of impurities and feces. Calves should not be kept on wet bedding as this can lead to diaper rash and hair loss. After each feeding, the feeders are cleaned of feed residues and washed.

In case of gross violations of the veterinary and sanitary rules for feeding and keeping calves, they fall ill -, etc.

Milk growing period. During the dairy period, owners of private household plots and peasant farms usually use two methods of feeding calves: manual feeding with milk and skimmed milk, or keeping calves under cows. When milk is fed by hand, calves can be kept loosely in group cages for 5-15 heads from 15-20 days to 4-6 months of age. Cages for group housing of calves are made quite spacious. For calves up to 2-3 months of age, there must be at least 1.2 m² of floor space per animal, up to 6 months of age - at least 1.5 m². The front and back walls are made lattice, and the partitions between adjacent cells are solid. The height of the enclosing structures is 1m. For urine to drain, the floor in the cages must slope towards the manure channel. In cages with concrete floors, calves are kept on deep bedding, which is replaced once every 2-3 months.

On the south side of the calf house, a walking area with a hard surface is made at the rate of 5-8 m2 per calf. On the walking grounds, feeders for hay and green mass are installed. In winter, litter (straw or peat) is used here. A normal microclimate in the calf shed is maintained by supply and exhaust ventilation and heat supply.

Depending on the purpose of the calves and the planned weight gain, certain feeding schemes are established. If the calves are raised for non-breeding purposes, then the whole milk is fed to the calves up to 3-4 weeks, and then replaced with the skimmed milk. On the return calves are completely transferred from 2-3 months of age and fed to 4-5 months. With this type of feeding, raising a calf requires 200-250 liters of whole milk and 500-800 liters of skim milk. If you plan to raise your calves for the breeding, they will need to drink 300-400 liters of whole milk and 500-800 liters of skim milk for up to 6 months. In order to save milk, a number of owners of private household plots and peasant farms use a whole milk substitute when raising calves during the dairy period.

From 20-25 days of age, calves are fed with concentrates. Initially, the calf is given no more than 50 g, then their number is gradually increased and by the end of the dairy period is brought to 0.6-1.6 kg per calf.

Calves of dairy and mixed breeds, owners of private household plots and peasant farms should accustom themselves to eating large amounts of succulent and roughage with moderate use of milk and concentrates. Care must be taken throughout the growing period to ensure that the rations are protein balanced. Beginning at 2 weeks of age, calves are trained to hay. The best is considered to be leguminous, cereal or cereal-legume hay, which is harvested before flowering and at the beginning of flowering and dried within 2-3 days. Calf pastures should be dry, with good herbage. From 3 weeks of age, calves are taught to wheat bran, oatmeal or a complete mixture of concentrates. From juicy feed, calves at the age of 2 months in winter are given chopped carrots, fodder beets. In summer, in addition to grazing, the calves are fed green mass in the feeders.

Calves are fed 3-4 times a day at the same time. Calves are given mineral supplements mixed with concentrates or in pure form. Salt is added to the calf's diet every day.

In large settlements of individual entrepreneurs and rural stores for raising calves, specialized feed for calves of various age groups is sold.

Compound feed for calves is a balanced product that contains all vitamins, macro and microelements necessary for the growth of a calf, as well as biologically active substances with a high degree of activity (probiol, bificin, etc.), which ensure the normal development of the calf.

The composition of the compound feed for calves contains only exclusively vegetable components, which are necessarily cleaned and crushed. For example: 20% wheat, 20% wheat bran, 20% barley, 10% oats, sunflower meal 36%, table salt 1%, lime flour 1.6%, monocalcium phosphate 1%.

Raising calves under cows - nurses.

The sucking method of raising calves is that during a certain period the calves are given the opportunity to suck milk directly from the udder of the cow. With this method, the calf receives milk of the optimum temperature, with full preservation of vitamins and immunobiological properties, in the necessary portions, not contaminated with microorganisms. When sucked slowly, the milk is evenly mixed with the saliva of the parotid glands, and therefore a loose clot of calcium caseinate is formed in the abomasum under the influence of the enzyme chymosin, which promotes better digestion and assimilation of milk. Calves raised under cows are less likely to suffer from gastrointestinal diseases. In dairy farming, several groups of calves are raised under one cow, and this method is called shift sucking. The first days after birth, the calves are left under the mothers, from 5-6 days, the calves are assigned in groups to certain cows by the nurses. Calves are weaned from cows - nurses at 2-3 months of age. Weaning times depend on whether the farm uses reverse and compound feed. Depending on the productivity, up to 4 calves are fixed per cow for the sucking period. When assigning calves to a cow-nurse, it is assumed that each of the assigned calves should receive 4-6 kg of milk per day, and in total for a period of 350 - 360 kg. Healthy cows with a calm temperament, characterized by rather pronounced maternal instincts, are selected as feed cows. Special attention it is necessary to pay attention to the udder condition, which should not be affected by mastitis. Before admitting the calves, the udders are washed at the wet nurse, they are massaged and the first streams of milk are sucked off. Calves are admitted to the nurses 3 times a day. After feeding, the udder teats are smeared with petroleum jelly.

Calf cages are equipped with feeders. Calves are taught to hay, concentrates and juicy feed from the first days of sucking.

In beef cattle breeding, calves are raised by a weaning method. The born calf is immediately admitted to the mother cow and kept on suction until 7-8 months of age. The cows are not milked. Calves are raised both with single suckling and double sucking, in which each cow feeds its calf and foster child. During the first 5-6 days, the calves are fed with colostrum. In order for the cow to get used to the adoptive, its head, back and tail root are smeared with the milk of the nurse.

In the pasture period, after the calves are taught to be sucked, they are released together with the cow to the pasture, where they are kept during this period in a common herd.

In beef cattle breeding, seasonal calving is the most economical and technologically justified, and in farms that have sufficient well-equipped premises for keeping cows and suckling calves, calving is carried out in the first quarter. The calves born during these periods have time to grow up and get stronger before the grazing period and then use pasture well. In the event that there are no capital premises on the farm, calving of beef cows is carried out in April - May. At the same time, cows and suckling calves are kept on pastures, as a result of which labor costs are minimal.

To shelter animals during heat and bad weather, sheds closed on three sides, equipped with feeders, are built near pastures. The salt-lysine should always be here. During the grazing period, when animals consume large amounts of green forage, the need for table salt increases.

Young animals are beaten off from cows in September - October. Two weeks before weaning, it is advisable to teach young animals to eat concentrates. With a meager grass stand, it is desirable to feed the young with concentrates during the entire suckling period.

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