Abstract
The article presents the results of a study on the influence of colostrum quality and feeding duration on the growth and survival indicators of newborn calves. The research was conducted at two agricultural enterprises of Kostanay region — “Turar” LLP and “Sadchikovskoe” LLP — using calves obtained from Holstein cows. The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of high-quality colostrum administration and optimized feeding technology during the first days of life. Particular attention was paid to the density and immunoglobulin content of colostrum, as well as to the duration of feeding during the neonatal period. The experimental studies included the formation of control and experimental groups of calves under identical housing and management conditions. Calves of the experimental groups received high-quality colostrum during the first two days after birth, while the control groups received colostrum only during the first day. Live weight, average daily gain, absolute growth, and survival indicators were evaluated throughout the observation period. The results demonstrated that timely feeding of high-quality colostrum significantly improved calf growth performance. At the age of 10 days, calves of the experimental groups exceeded the control groups in live weight by 3.2 kg at “Turar” LLP and by 4.4 kg at “Sadchikovskoe” LLP (p < 0.001). Absolute live weight gain was higher by 3.7 kg and 3.9 kg, respectively. Average daily gain in the experimental groups reached 840±37 g/day, exceeding the control groups by 370–390 g/day (p < 0.001). The use of quality colostrum also contributed to better adaptation, improved passive immunity, and reduced incidence of gastrointestinal disorders. The findings confirm the important role of colostrum quality and feeding technology in ensuring calf viability, growth intensity, and preservation during the milk-feeding period. Future studies should focus on improving feeding protocols, evaluating immune status biomarkers, and developing precision technologies for calf rearing under industrial dairy farming conditions.