Varpikhovskyi R. The sanitary and hygienic assessment of replacement heifers and heifers breeding using self-contained and group cages.

The prospectively of self-contained and group cages usage for unfastened and box way of keeping of replacement heifers and heifers at the small-scale milk producing enterprises was proved. On the research basis it was proved that microclimate of typical livestock buildings during the stalled period at the small-scale farms do not always correspond to the established hygiene requirements. The reconstruction of livestock buildings with giving one section for the certain age group provides energy efficiency in the animal keeping zone, facilitates the lowering of air humidity, concentration of СО2 and NH3 in the air, and its microbial contamination. The animals moved more, spent less time for feed consumption and standing rest when they are unfastened than fastened, their indexes of clinical state and metabolic status corresponded to physiological norm. The dependence between the length of the heifers rest at the self-contained and group cage and the box depth, its width and length were proved. It was proved that the age of the first fruitful insemination of replacement heifers, their fertilization after the first insemination, gestation period, calving time, placenta separation, live weight of new born calves, the milk productivity of first-born cows during the first four days and in a month of lactation depend on the way of animals keeping at the self-contained and group cages. The usage of the designed self-contained and group cage and universal box for the rest of the animals and UF-rays improve the conditions of young, replacement heifers and heifers, decreases morbidity of newborn calves and it is economically viable.