Short Communication
Growth dynamics on the skin and the coat in Normandian and Simmental cattle during adaptation to the farming technology in southwestern part of Bulgaria
Nikolay Markov ,
Svetoslava Stoycheva ,
Tsvetomira Bancheva ,
Ljupcho Mickov ,
Branko Atanasov ,
Igor Esmerov ,
Nikola Adamov *

Mac Vet Rev 2023; 46 (1): 99 - 103

10.2478/macvetrev-2022-0029

Received: 06 July 2022

Received in revised form: 03 October 2022

Accepted: 28 October 2022

Available Online First: 22 November 2022

Published on: 15 March 2023

Correspondence: Nikola Adamov, adamovn@fvm.ukim.edu.mk
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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to identify the adaptability of Normandy cows raised in a loose system to the climatic and technological conditions and to compare their adaptability with already acclimatized Simmental cows in one farm in Southwestern Bulgaria. Total of 20 cows at same age (II – IV lactation) and same body weight (630-660 kg) from both breeds were classified into 2 groups (each having 10 cows) and subjected to skin thickness measurement, fibers total weight determination and fiber categorization during the winter and summer season. The results have shown that during the winter season, the Normandy breed had significantly higher skin thickness at the elbow compared to the Simmental breed, whereas no differences were observed in the skin thickness between both breeds either at the neck or at the middle of the last rib. During the summer season, the differences on the skin thickness compared to the Simmental breed were observed at the neck (p<0.05), whilst at the elbow and at the middle of the last rib no differences were recorded (p>0.05). During the winter seasons, the coat of Normandy cows contained more soft fibers in comparison to the Simmentals cows. Furthermore, the changes in the observed parameters, influenced by climatic conditions showed similar pattern in both breeds. It can be concluded that the two breeds have emphasized their genetic potential and have a good adaptability to the temperate continental climate of the region.

Keywords: cattle, coat, skin, environment, adaptation

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Copyright

© 2022 Markov N. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared that they have no potential lict of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Citation Information

Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 46, Issue 1, Pages 99-103, e-ISSN 1857-7415, p-ISSN 1409-7621, DOI: 10.2478/macvetrev-2022-0029, 2022

The all content of the Macedonian Veterinary Review, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.