Bondarevskyy M. Morphological peculiarities of metatarsal bones and hindlimb fingers as criteria to determine age in dairy cattle.

The thesis presents the results of the investigations of the morphological parameters of metatarsal bones and hindlimb fingers in dairy cattle on macro-and microscopic levels of structural organization to determine age of the cattle in the wide range (from birth to 12 years of age) without any dependence on the state of bone tissue (native or burnt). The formalization of the qualitative and quantitive data allows to determine age of the cattle objectively, integratively and accurately. Carrying out the investigations on the basis of osteological technologies allows to increase greatly the accuracy and objectivity of cattle age determination. Automatization of osteological tecnologies is possible with the use of the developed author's computer programm "Pes vacce". The use of osteological technologies that are based on the etalon-test principle and on the integrative evaluation of structural parameters guarantees the determination of dairy cattle age by metatarsal bones and hindlimb fingers from birth to 20 months ( ±2,7 months); from birth to 3 years of age (±3 months); from birth to 5 years of age ( ±3,2 months); from birth to 12 years of age (±12 months).