Dependence between behavioural acts and sperm parameters of boars of modern and local breeds of Ukraine

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between behavioural activities and sperm parameters in modern and local breeds of Ukrainian boars. Visual observations were conducted on 30 boars, aged 12 and 24 months, with five boars from each of the following breeds: Large White, Landrace, Ukrainian Meat, Pietrain, intrabreed type of Duroc breed of Ukrainian selection "Steppovyi", and the terminal line "Maxter". Behaviours such as rest, movement, feed, and water intake during 24 hours were recorded. Semen samples were manually collected from each boar and evaluated for quantitative and qualitative indicators of sperm quality and fertilizing capacity according to the "Instructions for Artificial Insemination of Pigs", which included parameters such as ejaculate volume, sperm concentration in the ejaculate, percentage of correctly motile spermatozoa, survival of spermatozoa, and fertilizing ability of boars. The study found that certain behavioural activities significantly influenced the qualitative and quantitative indicators of sperm parameters in boars of different breeds. Specifically, time spent on rest and movement, as well as the index of movement activity (at 12 months of age), significantly (P < 0.05) influenced ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, and the percentage of correctly motile spermatozoa. Moreover, the effect of these behavioural acts on ejaculate volume had a curvilinear character. On the other hand, the survival of spermatozoa and fertilizing ability of boars were mainly determined by their time spent on feed and water intake (at 24 months of age), and the relationship detected in this case was asymptotic.

Influence of housing air temperature on the behavioural acts, physiological parameters and performance responses of fattening pigs

The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of housing air temperature on the behavioural acts, physiological parameters and performance responses of fattening pigs. Animals were randomly allocated to 3 groups with 30 heads in each. During eight weeks of fattening, the animals of the two experimental groups were subjected to longterm technological temperature stress, provoked by a significant deviation of the microclimate parameters. The first control group of animals was kept following the Departmental Norms for Technological Design - Agro-Industrial Complex - 02.05 «Pig-breeding enterprises (complexes, farms, small farms)¼ at an air temperature of +17…+21 °C; pigs of the second experimental group were kept at a temperature of - +5…+8 °C, and the third experimental group - +28…+31 °C. During the experiment, the timing of behavioural acts and their index assessment, physiological parameters and productive characteristics of fattening pigs were studied. The experiment results showed that the thermoneutral zone for fattening pigs is + 17… + 21 °C. Animals 2nd experimental group showed less movement (P < 0.001), used huddling for decreasing body heat loss, more feed intake (P < 0.01), which increased its conversion, had reduced HR, RR, RT. Pigs of the 3rd experimental group showed increased movement (P < 0.001). This can be explained by their desire to find a cool place and rest lying on the side, consuming more water, having high HR, RR, and RT, showing signs of hyperthermia and were characterized by low-performance responses.

Biochemical changes during heat stress in productive animals with an emphasis on the antioxidant defense system

The problem of free radical pathologies in high temperatures in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine is extremely important scientific and practical. In the process of hyperthermia, the structure of cell membranes, the permeability of membranes, and membrane transport systems change, which cause the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids and the accumulation of toxic products of a radical nature. This plays an important role in the development of many pathological conditions. The review article describes the problem of the influence of heat stress (HS) on a living organism and the problem of hyperthermia in animal husbandry. Emphasis is placed on the role of the body's antioxidant system in a state of HS and the use of antioxidant drugs as additives into feed for farm animals, aimed at mitigating the course and harmful effects in HS. On the one hand, our goal was to describe in an accessible form the main complex biochemical disorders in the body under HS conditions, which lead to a deterioration in the welfare and loss of productivity of animals. On the other hand, we tried to show the special role of the antioxidant defense system in preventing the development of oxidative stress in its classical representation. Also, we substantiated the choice in favor of using natural and synthetic antioxidants as one of the strategies for the prevention of HS in modern animal husbandry.(AU)

Biochemical changes during heat stress in productive animals with an emphasis on the antioxidant defense system

The problem of free radical pathologies in high temperatures in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine is extremely important scientific and practical. In the process of hyperthermia, the structure of cell membranes, the permeability of membranes, and membrane transport systems change, which cause the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids and the accumulation of toxic products of a radical nature. This plays an important role in the development of many pathological conditions. The review article describes the problem of the influence of heat stress (HS) on a living organism and the problem of hyperthermia in animal husbandry. Emphasis is placed on the role of the body's antioxidant system in a state of HS and the use of antioxidant drugs as additives into feed for farm animals, aimed at mitigating the course and harmful effects in HS. On the one hand, our goal was to describe in an accessible form the main complex biochemical disorders in the body under HS conditions, which lead to a deterioration in the welfare and loss of productivity of animals. On the other hand, we tried to show the special role of the antioxidant defense system in preventing the development of oxidative stress in its classical representation. Also, we substantiated the choice in favor of using natural and synthetic antioxidants as one of the strategies for the prevention of HS in modern animal husbandry.