EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR FATTENING OVERGROWN REPLACEMENT YOUNG CATTLE OF MIXED ORIGIN IN THE ARID CLIMATE OF SOUTHERN UKRAINE

Abstract

The arid climatic conditions of Southern Ukraine necessitate the development and implementation of adaptive livestock management technologies. This study focuses on optimizing the feeding of overgrown replacement young stock of dairy origin through the use of two locally accessible feed components-cereal-legume hay or straw and compound feed-in combination with the use of crossbred animals or breeds with better adaptation potential to regional conditions. This approach defines the relevance of the chosen research direction. The objective of the study was to determine an efficient fattening technology for overgrown replacement young cattle of crossbred origin using locally available dietary components – hay and compound feed – which is considered a necessary measure to increase beef production potential in a region increasingly affected by global climate change. The study was conducted using standard zootechnical research methods and commonly accepted practices in cattle husbandry. The proposed fattening system for overgrown replacement stock on dairy farms in Southern Ukraine involves crossbred animals (e.g., ½ Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy × ½ Aberdeen Angus; ½ Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy × ½ Piedmontese, or similar combinations) fed with regionally available basic feed components such as cereal-legume hay and compound feed. Under these conditions, live weights of 427.21 kg and 499.50 kg were achieved by 375 days of age, with corresponding lifetime average daily gains of 1066.37 g and 1245.17 g, respectively. The core principle of this so-called "grain-based" feeding technology is providing animals with unrestricted access to roughage (with hay being replaceable by cereal straw if necessary), compound feed, and high-quality drinking water. To achieve planned lifetime average daily gains of approximately 1250 g during growth phases from 100 to 500 kg of live weight, the dry matter intake should range from 2.8–3.1 kg, 4.8–5.2 kg, to 7.0–7.8 kg, depending on body weight. The dietary concentration must exceed 11.0 MJ of metabolizable energy and contain 16.0–17.0% crude protein per 1 kg of dry matter. We recommend that commercial dairy farms breeding Ukrainian Black-and-White cattle utilize semen from the Piedmontese breed for artificial insemination of culled or low-yielding mature cows. This strategy enables both a heterosis effect in fattening performance and a genetic improvement in meat quality traits. Furthermore, the Piedmontese breed demonstrates superior adaptive capacity to arid environmental conditions characteristic of Southern Ukraine.