THE USE OF THE COW-CALF SYSTEM IN BEEF CATTLE BREEDING IN THE MOUNTAIN ZONE OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH OSSETIA-ALANIA
The improvement of calf viability necessitated the use of the cow-calf system. The main task of this system is to obtain a viable calf from each cow and full-aged heifer, grown up to 7-8 months of age on suction ready for further breeding both for herd reproduction and intensive fattening. For this purpose10 bulls and 200 heifers of the Kalmyk breed were imported from the «Druzhba» breeding plant in the Stavropol Region to the agricultural production cooperative «Ardon» located in the Ardon region of the North Ossetia-Alania in 2012. Two groups of Kalmyk cattle were formed to study their productivity. The first group consisted of naturalized animals and the second group included cattle born on the farm. It has been established that the live weight of cows of both mentioned groups which have been kept in year-round grazing for the past three years was even slightly higher than in the farms of the Rostov region and the Republic of Kalmykia, which are considered to be the traditional breeding areas of this breed. January - March is the best time for seasonal calving in the conditions of the mountainous zone of North Ossetia. Calves of winter and early spring birth dates have time to grow up and get stronger before entering natural pastures and reach a live weight of 200 - 220 kg by the end of grazing in the mountains in autumn. These cows quickly restore fatness and successfully fertilize on the spring pasture. By winter calves grow up, reach 40-50% of their mother’s live weight and better tolerate cold weather. The milkiness of cows increases on juicy green grass, which favorably affects the growth and development of calves. Calves output born on the farm was 8.5% more than that of naturalized ones and 3.5% more than those born in the agricultural production cooperative «Ardon» per 100 cows.