Productive and Reproductive Qualities of Hereford Breeding Stock

We carried out this research to improve the methods for assessing the breeding qualities of Hereford cattle by studying the formation of the productive and reproductive traits of cows of the breeding core of the herd. The analysis of the breeding and genetic parameters of the breeding stock covers the period of 2012–2024 and involved three groups of animals (from fruitful insemination of heifers to the 7th calving of cows): group I was formed from the related Forder 191 group of the Ural Hereford intrabreed type and groups II and III from the related groups of bulls, respectively, Dice 10M and Absolut 495S of Canadian selection. Based on the data of the primary breeding records, the live weight, body condition score, milk productivity, duration of pregnancy, inter-calving interval, and service period was studied for each group (n = 24) within seven calvings. The duration of the inter-calving and service periods was characterized by a high variability (Cv = 7.79–12.98% and Cv = 27.65–49.43%, respectively), which indicates the possibility of breeding based on these traits. To reduce the open period (up to 90 days), it is advisable to select cows with optimal body condition score (5–6 points), which will make it possible to annually increase the resulting offspring by 26.4%. Given the high value of milk production (up to 35% of the total score) in the integrated assessment of beef cows and significant (up to 10%; p = 0.03–0.06) influence of heredity on this trait, it is proposed to improve the methodological approach to completing the breeding core of the herd and increase the threshold of the elite record (not lower than 193.5 kg for first-calf heifers) and elite (not lower than 182.2 kg) classes for milk production to classify animals into the corresponding categories of integrated appraisal classes. The genealogical structure of the selected group was based by the related Dice group (42.4%); the proportion of the Forder progeny was 36.4% of the first-calf heifers; and the proportion was observed for the Absolut progeny (21.2%). The results of the assessment of the breeding stock emphasize the importance of improving the methodological approaches to the selection of animals for staffing the breeding core of meat herds.