ENHANCING PARAMETERS OF COMFORTABLE ANIMAL KEEPING ON A LIVESTOCK FARM TO ENSURE INTENSIFIED MILK PRODUCTION

Abstract

Comfortable keeping of animals directly affects their productivity. The authors analyzed the parameters of comfort for animals in loose housing: ambient temperature, relative humidity in the barn, stall bedding and standards for arranging passageways, feeding and watering areas. Studies have shown that the comfortable keeping of animals requires a number of parameters: temperature in the barn within 0...+12°C; sufficient space - at least 30 cub. m of space per animal; the box width of about 1.10...1.20 m; air exchange rates in winter of 4...5, in summer - of up to 20...30; stall bedding - sand or a rubber filling mattress. The optimal temperature and humidity index for adult cattle should be at least 68. To comply with all technological standards for the comfortable keeping of animals, the authors suggest using unified fasteners to adjust the width of the stall space to the required distance depending on the cow's body weight, set the overhead bar to ensure a convenient animal position, and change the location of the chest board. Compliance with the basic parameters of animal keeping and a possibility of adjusting the dividers for boxes make comfortable conditions for the animal to lie down and chew food longer, which contributes to an increase in the milk yield.