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Background: Copper supplementation in ruminants deserves special attention because of the narrow margin between deficiency and toxicity. The aim of the study was to analyse the relationship between the Cu concentration and other blood parameter values having taken into consideration their physiological limits based on the variation of copper concentration in the three different sheep breeds. Methods: Sixty sheep (35±5 kg) kept on the same farm were studied: the Suffolk (n = 20), the Merino (n = 20) and the Lithuanian blackhead (n = 20). The sheep were selected according to the following parameters: 3.5±0.3 years old, not pregnant during the entire investigation period, clinically healthy. All sheep were kept under the same conditions and throughout the year, were fed at the same time the same ration balanced according to their physiological needs. Individual blood samples were collected on the same day, on monthly basis for the period of one year (April 2018 to May 2019). Blood biochemical parameters as well blood haematology and cortisol concentration were analysed.Result: The highest average value of copper concentration was found in the Merino breed. The study has shown that the lowest number of blood samples with the levels of copper meeting the physiological limit values was found in the native Lithuanian blackhead sheep at the end of the grazing period and in the Merino and the Suffolk breeds - during the coldest winter months. The increase in copper concentration could be related to the stress caused due to the changes in dietary conditions, the variations of ambient temperature and different breed response to these factors.

Background: Climatic factors, such as high temperature, high relative humidity, can induce a thermal stress in animals. The phenomenon of mammalian sensitivity to thermal stress, especially in small ruminants, is widely reported in the literature. The present study aimed to analyze temperature and humidity effects on serum metabolic profile and cortisol concentration in sheep. Methods: The experiment was conducted on 40 adult, non-lactating and non-pregnant Suffolk sheep from December 2018 to December 2019. The subgroups were formed by age (two groups): twenty sheep were about 1.5 years old (Group 1) and other twenty - about 3 years old (Group 2). Based on the value of the temperature-humidity index, the following three subgroups were formed: 1) temperature humidity index ≥20; 2) 20 greater than temperature-humidity index greater than 10 and 3) temperature-humidity index less than 10. Blood cortisol concentration and biochemical parameters were measured once per month on the same day, in identical animals. Result: The analysis of biochemical parameters revealed that Group 2 showed significantly higher values for creatinine, phosphorus, zinc and cortisol. All blood indicators, except iron, phosphorus and total bilirubin, were dependent on THI concentration. The highest positive correlation coefficient of cortisol was calculated with urea and total protein. It is concluded that both cortisol and biochemical parameters play a significant role in thermal stress reactions in the Suffolk sheep.

The aim of the current instant study was to evaluate relative at-line milk progesterone dynamic changes according to parity and status of reproduction and to estimate the relationship with productivity in dairy cows by at-line milk analysis system Herd NavigatorTM. According to the progesterone assay, experimental animals were divided into three periods: postpartum, after insemination, and pregnancy. In the first stage of the postpartum period, progesterone levels in milk were monitored every 5 days. This period of reproductive cycle recovery was followed for 30 days (days 0&ndash, 29). The second stage of the postpartum period (30&ndash, 65 days) lasted until cows were inseminated. In the period (0&ndash, 45 days) after cow insemination, progesterone levels were distributed according to whether or not cows became pregnant. For milk progesterone detection, the fully automated real-time progesterone analyzer Herd NavigatorTM (Lattec I/S, Hiller&oslash, d, Denmark) was used in combination with a DeLaval milking robot (DeLaval Inc., Tumba, Sweden). We found that an at-line progesterone concentration is related to different parities, reproductive statuses, and milk yield of cows: the 12.88% higher concentration of progesterone in milk was evaluated in primiparous cows. The average milk yield in non-pregnant primiparous cows was 4.64% higher, and in non-pregnant multiparous cows 6.87% higher than in pregnant cows. Pregnancy success in cows can be predicted 11&ndash, 15 days after insemination, when a significant increase in progesterone is observed in the group of pregnant cows.

The aim of the instant study was to evaluate relative inline progesterone dynamic changes according to parity and status of reproduction and to estimate the relationship with productivity in dairy cows by inline milk analysis system (IMAS) Herd Navigator. According to a progesterone assay, cows were divided into three periods: postpartum, after insemination, and pregnancy. In the first stage of the postpartum period (0-29 days), the progesterone level in milk was monitored every 6 days. The second stage of the postpartum period (30-65 days) lasted until cows were inseminated. In the third period (0-45 days) after cows were inseminated, progesterone scores were distributed according to whether or not cows became pregnant. The stability of progesterone dynamics was monitored in the last study period (45-90 days). For milk progesterone detection, the fully automated real-time progesterone analyzer Herd Navigator (Lattec I/S. Hillerød. Denmark) was used in combination with a DeLaval milking robot (DeLaval Inc., Tumba, Sweden). The highest progesterone concentration in multiparous cows ranged from 1.08% (11-17 days postpartum) to 34.89% higher than that in cows of the first parity. The lowest progesterone concentrations in the milk of all cows were estimated during the first 5 postpartum days and between 18 and 23 days after calving. Peak milk progesterone concentrations were evaluated in the first stage of the experiment on days 24-29 after calving. In the 30-65-day period after calving, the level of milk progesterone was 2.02-2.08 times higher than that in the 24-29-day postpartum period. After insemination, the level of progesterone in milk increased by 10.77-22.54% compared with the level from cows on days 30-65 after calving. A higher (12.88%) concentration of progesterone in milk was evaluated in multiparous cows compared with that from cows of the first parity. In pregnant cows, milk progesterone within 0-45 days after insemination was 23.88% (in multiparous cows) and 32.54% (in primiparous cows) higher than that in non-pregnant cows. On days 31–35 after insemination, pregnant cows had higher milk progesterone levels, which can predict pregnancy success. According to our study results, we can suggest that an inline progesterone concentration determined by inline milk analysis system Herd Navigator and changes in its dynamics correlate with different reproductive statuses and milk yield of cows. Pregnant cows 11–15 days after insemination have higher milk progesterone levels, what positively, associated with a successful pregnancy.

Previous research has shown that the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in postpartum cattle has the potential to be a viable way to improve productivity and reproduction, although further research is necessary to optimise recommendations for producers. The aim of this research was to determine the influence of carprofen on dairy cows using a number of different indices including stress, reproduction, and milk yield data. The experiment was carried out on 100 first-lactation dairy cows. The animals were divided into two groups. The treatment group (TG, n = 50) was given a subcutaneous injection of Rimadyl Cattle® (50 mg/ml of carprofen) up to one hour after calving. At the same time, the control group (CG, n = 50) was given an injection of 0.9% NaCl. Blood tests were taken 2, 24, and 48 h after calving and tested using the fluorescence enzyme immunoassay method for cortisol analysis. At 305 days, the total milk yield was recorded for each cow. A computerised herd management program was used for data registration and analysis. Pregnancy was tested by ultrasound between 30 and 35 days after insemination. A subcutaneous injection of carprofen (1.4 mg per 1 kg of body weight) given one hour after parturition in first-lactation cows reduced the level of cortisol within 48 h after calving. During lactation (305 days in milk), the intervention increased the milk yield (252 kg) and pregnancy rates (8.5%), reduced the calving interval (43 days), and decreased the somatic cell count during the second, third, and fourth months after calving.

Climatic variations directly affect the animals, changing their physiology. Several factors such as species, breed, sex, age, nutrition, diseases, physiological stage, and seasonal variations can affect the pattern of haematological values. Quantitative and morphological changes in blood cells are associated with higher temperatures and humidity. Sixty-seven sheep (3 years old, not pregnant, clinically healthy) were used in the study to determine the effect of the temperature-humidity index (THI) and breed on morphological blood indices and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). The sheep were divided into groups by the breed (4 breeds) and the THI (2 classes). The blood samples from each animal were collected monthly. Significant differences between the values of leukocytes (WBC), neutrophils (NEU), erythrocytes (RBC), haemoglobin (HGB), haematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), lymphocytes (LYM), monocytes (MON) and platelet count (PLT) in THI groups were observed. In THI 1, the mean values of MCHC (5.68%, P < 0.05), MCH (0.52%), and HCT (4.90%, P < 0.05) were higher compared to those in THI 2. Multivariate test showed a significant effect of breed on NEU (P < 0.05), RBC (P < 0.05), HGB (P < 0.05) and MCHC (P < 0.05). The concentration of BHB in group THI 2 was by 12.9% higher (P < 0.05), compared to group THI 1. A significant effect of the breed (P < 0.05) and THI class (P < 0.05) on BHB was determined, whereas the impact of breed interaction with the THI was found to be non-significant. The observations reported in this study suggest that the response to temperature is dependent on animal breed. It was found that both morphological blood indices and BHB were affected by the temperature-humidity index.

The current study was carried out to investigate the protective effects of royal jelly supplementation on sperm motility, viability and pH value during the liquid storage of boar semen at 16 °C and 4 °C, at various periods of time (0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h). Semen samples were collected from 11 boars, diluted with a long-term extender and supplemented with different concentration of royal jelly (0%, 0.5%, 1% and 2%) at a final concentration of 50 × 106 sperm/ml. In the laboratory, the semen was assessed for sperm morphology, viability (eosin-nigrosin staining), subjective motility and objective sperm motility by sperm class analyzer. In total, 396 tests for sperm viability and motility were performed. The longer storage time and the lower incubation temperature showed lower sperm motility and viability results. The results showed that royal jelly supplementation at 1% concentrations protected the functionality of the sperm plasma membrane during the liquid storage time of 96 h at 16 °C. Sperm subjective and objective motility results in samples stored at 4 °C decreased with higher royal jelly concentrations and longer storage time, and differ significantly from the results in samples stored at 16 °C (P < 0.05). Our data showed that royal jelly supplementation at lower concentrations can improve boar semen motility and viability parameters during liquid storage at 16 °C for 96 h.