Abstract. Housing and breeding conditions have a significant impact on sheep welfare. Well-designed buildings that ensure an appropriate microclimate, unrestricted access to pastures, proper nutrition, gentle handling, and the opportunity to express natural behaviors are key factors influencing sheep welfare. Play is a crucial indicator of lamb welfare. Frequent play activity reflects positive emotions in the animals, whereas stress can significantly reduce their willingness to engage in play. Positive relationships between humans and animals also play an important role. Interactions with caretakers build trust in sheep and lead to positive emotional responses. Observing sheep behavior is one of the most important methods for assessing their welfare. Regular monitoring of sheep behavior by farmers provides valuable insights into their well-being and needs. This enables the detection of potential problems and the implementation of appropriate preventive measures.
Abstract. The aim of the study was to perform histomorphometric analysis of the sole horn in the thoracic limbs and pelvic limbs of primiparous and multiparous cows. During hoof trimming, samples of the sole horn were collected from the fore and hind legs of 30 (15 primiparous and 15 multiparous) cows of the Holstein-Friesian breed. Once prepared, the histological slides were analysed using Multiscan software. The bovine sole horn was subjected to histomorphometric analysis, taking account of the number of horn tubules per 1.5 mm2, diameter of the horn tubules, and distances between the horn tubules. In both primiparous and multiparous cows, a significantly greater diameter of the horn tubules was observed in the fore legs, 51.60 and 48.62 vs. 42.42 and 39.88 μm. In second and third lactation cows, the number of horn tubules in the sole horn was significantly greater in the fore legs, 31.00 per 1.5 mm2 vs. 22.50 per 1.5 mm2 (pelvic limbs). There were no significant differences in the histological structure of the sole horn between the primiparous and multiparous cows.
Abstract. The microbiological quality of feed is affected by a range of factors throughout the food chain. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of feed storage conditions on its microbiological quality. Poultry feeds were sampled in three periods: winter, summer and autumn from four domestic farms. At the same time, air temperature and humidity, as well as indoor microbiological air quality were measured. The transfer of contaminants from the air to feed that was not properly protected was demonstrated. Contamination of feed with fecal bacteria occurred regardless of the animals access to feed stores. The study showed the influence of indoor conditions on air and feed contamination. In winter and autumn, where high air humidity (>51%) was recorded, higher concentrations of total yeast and mold counts were isolated for feed 2 in winter and feed 1 in autumn in the inverted rooms. Only in winter was there a correlation between the physical parameters of the air samples. The effect of temperature on the microbiological quality of feed was determined only during the autumn period.
Wojciech Kozera, Weronika Gurzyńska, Rodian Pawłowski, Adam Okroski, Karolina Dobiesz, Urszula Czarnik, Agnieszka Pożarska, Michał Dąbrowski, Krzysztof Karpiesiuk
Abstract. Meat quality depends on a number of factors, which can be divided into genetic and environmental. Gender can significantly alter the meat quality of fattening pigs. Porkers undergoing surgical castration have a higher fat content compared to gilts. The aim of the study is to compare the fattening and slaughter characteristics as well as the chemical composition of meat from gilts and surgically castrated males. The research material consisted of 113 fatteners: gilts (61 pcs) and surgically castrated males (52 pcs) from 12 litters of sows with elements of two native breeds (6 litters - Polish Large White and 6 litters - Polish Landrace), randomly selected from a group of 50 sows and crossbreed boar of the paternal breeds Pietrain x Duroc. The chemical composition of the longissimus lumborum muscle was analysed in the samples, the content of dry matter, total protein, crude fat and crude ash was taken into account. The color of the meat was determined in the CIE L*a*b* system on the cross-section of the taken samples of the longissimus lumborum muscle (LL). After slaughter, the pH45 of LL, carcass length and backfat thickness were also measured. The significance of differences between the mean physicochemical scores in the groups was analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance in the orthogonal system using Duncan's test. The results were statistically processed using the Statistica PL 13.5 programme. Surgically castrated males was characterized by a significantly higher daily gain compared to gilts. It was shown that the percentage of meat in the carcass was significantly higher in the gilts, which were also characterized by a lower fatness expressed in the average backfat thickness. Ultimately, it was found that the sex of the experimental animals did not differentiate the quality of the meat.
