EN
The aim of the study was to determine the influence of the maintenance system on chosen production and reproduction features in the life span of cows of Red-White breeds maintained in environmental-feeding conditions that occur on individual farms of south-east Poland (Podsudecie). Research covered 237 cows of Polish Holstein-Friesian breed of Red-White variety and Polish Red-White breed kept indoors in two different systems of management: stanchion and loose. It was proved that the system of cows’ management significantly (p ≤ 0.05) differentiated the yield and chemical composition of milk in the first and third 305-days lactation, life yield, and yield of milk, fat and protein per 1 day of performance. An average milk yield in I 305-day lactation was significantly higher (of 291 kg) with lower (p ≤ 0.05) fat content (of 0.18%) in the milk of cows kept in the loose system in comparison to cows on a tether. The life production of cows in a loose management system was significantly higher by 16 527 kg of milk, 604.2 kg of fat and 529.9 kg of protein when compared to the stanchion system. As calculated for 1 day of performance, the highest milk (17.4 kg), fat (0.69 kg) and protein (0.56 kg) yield was characteristic for cows kept in loose barns, while the lowest (14.6, 0.63 and 0.49 kg, respectively) in stanchion barns. Cows in loose barns were significantly younger for their first calving (of 2.9 month), have slightly shorter inter-calving intervals, and the period of their performance was significantly longer (of 1.97 years) in comparison to cows in stanchion barns. Loose housing of cows turned out to be justified in climatic-soil conditions of Podsudecie, thus it is worth propagating since it guarantees that dairy cattle breeders obtain more beneficial results of milk and reproduction performance as opposed to cows in stanchion barns.