THE CORRECTION OF THE AIR ENVIRONMENT FOR CALVES
The diseases of young cattle caused by inadequate growing and keeping standards are the major constraints of the profitability of the animal farms in the Russian Federation. In this context, the main “aggressors” are toxic fumes and ammonia. The latter is one of the trickiest, and in the presence of infectious agents it leads to different complications as severe chronic respiratory diseases in calves. Our research shows that the effective way to control high ammonia concentrations found in the air of livestock buildings is the application of sanitation product consisting of symbiotic microflora cultures (yeast, Bacillus Subtilis, lactobacilli, Tr. Viride mold fungus). Such cultures of symbiotic flora when giving out organic acids, antibiotics and other biologically active substances, are able to reduce the amount of microflora that releases ammonia in the process of animal excrement and bedding material decomposition. In the beginning of our experiment, we determined the concentration of ammonia in the layer of air directly above the bedding in a typical livestock room with the help of a universal gas analyzer. A linear coloristic method with glass tubes containing an indicator powder that changes color from orange to blue in the presence of ammonia was used. On the first day of the experiment, we carried out check studies of the ammonia concentration in each group of calves. The measurements were conducted at the same time and at the same height in each cage about 15-25 cm above the bedding. The ammonia concentration was measured at the level of the head of the lying calf in each individual cage in the first 30 days and then in 60 days. After the single exposure of the air environment of typical livestock building to a sanitation product, there was a significant decline of the main abiogenic factor - ammonia - when its concentration went down from 14.7 to 4.1 mg L, which confirmed the efficiency of this product being used against unsatisfactory housing conditions. The positive effect of the cultures of symbiotic microflora (part of this sanitation product) was also noted during the weighing control of calves from both groups at the end of the experiment. The live body weight of the experimental group of calves was by 13% higher on average than the live body weight of the control group.