Productive traits and biological features of young horses of Yakut breed in different areas of breeding

Abstract

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is one of the regions of Russia where drove breeding of horses has long been developed. In the modern realities of horse breeding, to further increase the number of drove breeding of horses and improve their productive, reproductive and adaptive traits, one of the most important techniques is to increase the genetic diversity of animals. The purpose of the research was livestock characteristics, the study of productive traits and biological characteristics of young horses of Yakut breed of the Arctic zone (Momsky ulus) in a comparative aspect with young horses of the Middle Taiga zone (Amginsky ulus). So, in terms of pre-slaughter weight and slaughter yield, the foals of the Momsky ulus had superiority. At the age of 6 months, they had a higher preslaughter weight by 9,3 kg (P ≥ 0,99), and a heavier carcass by 10,09 kg (P ≥ 0,99), compared with their herdmates of the Amginsky ulus. According to the slaughter yield, the foals of the Momsky ulus also had superiority. In the foals of the Momsky ulus at the age of 6 months the slaughter yield was 56,5 %, which was higher in comparison with the young animals of the Amginsky ulus by 2,5 abs.% (P ≥ 0,95). Probably, the higher pre-slaughter weight of foals in the Momsky ulus was due to more productive pasture lands with a higher nutritional value of plants. Chemical analysis of horse meat showed that the meat of foals of the Arctic zone (Momsky ulus) has a lower fat content. This allows you to get meat with a lower energy value, a suffi ciently high protein content and is a higher-quality product, which is probably due to the composition of the feed of this zone. Breeding of Yakut horses in the Arctic zone of Yakutia is more attractive from the point of view of the growth and development of young animals, obtaining better quality horse meat.