Microbiological starter culture of probiotic action in the prevention and treatment of disbacteriosis in heifers and its effect on live weight gain

Abstract

Scientists of the Bashkir Research Institute of Agriculture of the Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences are conducting scientific research on the development of biotechnological methods for housing and feeding calves of the preweaning rearing period using probiotic drugs. The purpose of the research was to conduct scientific and economic tests of the universal microbiological starter culture of probiotic action Biolax-U for the prevention and treatment of dysbiosis in heifers and to determine its effect on the live weight gain of young animals. Experimental investigations have been conducted in two farms in the Republic of Bashkortostan, where two groups of heifers (control and experimental) of Black-and-White breed of the preweaning rearing period have been formed, selected according to the method of pairs of analogues, taking into account origin, age, live weight. The expediency of using the universal microbiological starter culture of probiotic action Biolax-U as a medicinal product in the diets of calves has been investigated. Feeding of the universal microbiological starter culture of probiotic action Biolax-U allowed us to increase the average daily gains in the live weight of young animals, to improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. It has been found according to the results of control weighings of heifers that the live weight of heifers of the experimental groups was higher by the end of the experiment than the control herdmates in both experiments, and in the first experiment the difference was statistically significant at P < 0,01. It has been found that the absolute gain in the live weight of animals of the experimental groups receiving Biolax-U exceeded the control herdmates in the first experiment by 8,3 kg or 10,0 %, in the second experiment by 7,6 kg or 9,9 % as the result of improving the digestive system, increasing the digestibility and availability of feed in the diet. The heifers of the experimental groups in both experiments had an advantage in terms of average daily gain. For example, in the first experiment this advantage was 93 g/day or 10,0 %, in the second experiment it was 84,4 g/day or 9,9 %.