Linear scores and measures of both udder and teat shape and size (thirteen traits) were assessed in 83 ewes of Improved Valachian breed (IV) and in crossbreds with East Friesian breed (EF 25% or EF 50%). At the same time, cistern measures and cross-section areas (fourteen traits) as well as milk yield and milkability were scanned using ultrasound technique or measured in the same individuals (130 measurements in each trait). Crossbreds with EF 50% had the largest udders in terms of depth, width, and height, as determined by either a nine-point linear score or exact measurements. Additionally, these crossbreds had teats that were more horizontally placed and the most appropriate udder attachment and shape. more horizontally and most appropriate udder attachment and shape. Ultrasound scans revealed that the areas of both the left and right udder cisterns scanned by ultrasound were the highest in EF 50% crosses. Overall cistern cross-section areas scanned from the side were 2934.6 mm2 in IV, 2932.6 mm2 in crosses of EF 25% and 3559.4 mm2 in crosses of EF 50% (P<0.05). Crossbreds of EF 50% had more appropriate machine milked milk and total milk yield (311.1 and 424.7 ml) than purebred IV (231.8 and 336.1 ml; P>0.05). On average, the proportion of machine-stripped milk was 33.2%, and non-significant influence of genotype was shown. Furthermore, all traits under study showed non significant differences between crosses of EF 25% and 50%.

Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland (udder). It can be caused by physical injury or by infection, leading to the growth of microorganisms which invade the mammary gland. Mastitis is a major problem for farmers of dairy sheep and other dairy animals leading to economic losses. Different breeds have different traits and are therefore are differently susceptible to developing mastitis. It is therefore important to study and compare different breeds (Tsigai and Improved Valachian breeds) and their crosses in terms of milk yield and other various traits that are determinants of the likelihood of mastitis. The results of the study indicate that there is a statistically significant (P < 0.001) effect of genotype on the amount of milk obtained at machine milking in 30 seconds, the source of variation, and the total milk yield. There are notable differences between crossbreeds and purebreeds, particularly in the incidence of subclinical mastitis in favour of purebreds. The results demonstrated that the order of lactation had a statistically highly demonstrable effect on LOG SCC (P < 0.001). Ewes in their first lactation exhibited significantly lower somatic cell counts. Therefore, selecting ewes for lower somatic cell counts could also leads to less sickness and better ewe performance.

Although dairy goat production, characterized by traditional production on small farms, is an important source of income in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, locally adapted breeds have not been fully consolidated over the last 100 yr due to large fluctuations in population size and inconsistent breeding programs that allowed for different crossbreeding strategies. Our main objective in this study was therefore to assess the conservation status of 4 Czech (Alpine Goat, White Shorthair, Brown Shorthair, and Czech Landrace) and 1 Slovak (Slovak White Shorthair) local goat breeds, to analyze their population structure and admixture, and to estimate their relatedness to several neighboring breeds. Our analyses included 142 goats belonging to 5 local breeds genotyped with the Illumina 50K BeadChip, and 618 previously genotyped animals representing 15 goat breeds from Austria and Switzerland (all analyses based on 46,862 autosomal SNPs and 760 animals). In general, the conservation status of the Czech and Slovak local goat breeds was satisfactory, with the exception of the Brown Shorthair goat, as the analyzed parameters (heterozygosity, haplotype richness, runs of homozygosity-based inbreeding, and effective population size) were mostly above the median of 20 breeds. However, for all 5 Czech and Slovakian breeds, an examination of historical effective population size indicated a substantial decline about 8 to 22 generations ago. In addition, our study revealed that the Czech and Slovakian breeds are not fully consolidated; for instance, White Shorthair and Brown Shorthair were not clearly distinguishable. Considerable admixture, especially in Czech Landrace (effective number of parental clusters = 4.2), and low but numerous migration rates from other Austrian and Swiss breeds were found. These results provide valuable insights for future breeding programs and genetic diversity management of local Czech and Slovak goat breeds.

The Original Valachian sheep is an endangered Slovak national breed that is well adapted to high-altitude pastures. The sheep can be horned with various shapes and can have multi-coloured or completely white or black wool. Breeders are interested in learning about the genetic basis of these traits. We conducted a genome-wide association study based on the genomic information of 96 sheep genotyped by the GeneSeek GGP Ovine 50K SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) chip and on the following traits: polledness (presence or absence of horns), horn shape, and wool colour (completely white and completely black). The univariate linear mixed model was used to discover genetic variants significantly associated with tested traits. The Bonferroni correction and the false-discovery rate were used as significance thresholds. The RXFP2 gene (chromosome 10, 29.5 Mb) was identified as a strong candidate for polledness. In addition, when compared to animals with sideways-turned horns vs. polled, the region around the ADAMTS3 gene (chromosome 6, 88.47 Mb) was significant. A total of nine significant genomic regions were found when comparing the sideways-turned spiral horns with the backwards-curled horns, the two most frequent horn types in Original Valachian sheep. The RXFP2 may also contribute to the genetic control of horn shape. Genes identified in other regions were involved to osteogenic differentiation and osteoblast proliferation (PCP4, chromosome 1, 260.7 Mb), bone mineral density and mineral content (NKX1-2, chromosome 22, 43.75 Mb). The significant genetic variants close to the region of MC1R (chromosome 14, at 14.2 Mb) were associated with the wool colour of sheep that were fully white or fully black animals. The results of this study will contribute to a better understanding of the phenotypic variability of the Original Valachian sheep, especially regarding traits that are very important for breeders of this endangered breed.

The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of crossbreeding on milk production and milk components in crossbred Tsigai, Lacaune, and Improved Wallachian sheep used to create a synthetic Slovak dairy sheep population. The local breeds Tsigai and Improved Wallachian were crossed with the high-yielding breed Lacaune to increase milk yield. The effects of crossbreeding were evaluated based on breed and heterosis effects. The database used consisted of 23 018 lactations from 15 888 ewes. The effects of crossbreeding on milk production and fat and protein content were estimated using the restricted maximum likelihood method in REMLF90. Fixed effects on milk yield were also studied. In ewes with a 100% heterosis effect (ewes from purebred parents of different breeds), the heterosis effect increased milk production by 11.642 kg, milk fat production by 0.772 kg, and protein production by 0.565 kg per milking period. The effect of the Tsigai breed on milk production was -21.98 kg compared to Lacaune, while for the Improved Wallachian breed, the value was -38.58 kg. The Tsigai direct breed effect reduced fat production by 1.56 kg and protein production by 1.34 kg. The Improved Wallachian direct breed effect was -2.71 kg for fat production and -2.27 kg for protein production.

INTRODUCTION:Determination of somatic cell counts (SCC) becomes more and more important also for ewe's milk. SCC can be a useful indicator of milk quality for milk processors while it can be a mastitis indicator for sheep keepers and an important selection criterion for breeders. The objective of our study was to acquire basic information about factors influencing SCC variability in lambing ewes of the Tsigai (T) and Improved Valachian (IV) breeds. Somatic cell counts (SCC) were determined in 866 milk samples in 2017 and 2018, during lamb sucking and during milking period. An instrument Fossomatic 90 (Foss Electric, Hillerød, Denmark) was used for analysis. Average SCC varied from 270 to 1897 × 103 cells/ml during lamb sucking and from 268 to 2139 × 103 cells/ml during milking period. Differences between the sampling periods were statistically significant in 2017. An increase in SCC was observed at the end of both sucking and milking periods. An overall evaluation of lactation brought about the average SCC at 364 × 103 cells/ml in 2017 (log(10) SCC - 2,25) and at 1,091 × 103 cells/ml in 2018 (log(10) SCC - 2,68). The indicator log(10) was significantly influenced by breed in 2017 (T - 2,61; IV - 2,75). The effect of lactation number and number of sucking lambs did not have any significant influence on SCC.

The genomic inbreeding and heterozygosity levels were analysed in the Original and Improved Valachian sheep, and eight other breeds from open access data sets. The autosomal diversity levels were comparable between breeds. The markedly higher heterozygosity in the Improved Valachian was likely due to breed formation history, which ended ca. 40 years ago, and involved crossbreeding strategies. The heterozygosity levels in the X chromosome were clearly lower from those on the autosomes in all examined breeds. In particular, the dairy and meat Lacaune, and the Border Leicester breeds exhibited almost no heterozygosity here. In the Slovak autochthonous breeds, the heterozygosity levels were comparable to autosomes. The results of this study will be used to further improve the diversity of Valachian sheep.

Due to that Czech indigenous goat breeds, together with Slovak indigenous goat breeds, are closed population, face this population loss of genetic diversity, because these populations are closed. The aim of this study was to perform a genome-wide diversity characterization using Illumina GoatSNP50 BeadChip of indigenous Czech Braun Shorthair and White Shorthair goat breeds together with international Alpine goat from Czech Republic and indigenous White Shorthair goat breed from Slovak Republic. For comparison was in this analysis included indigenous alpine goat breed from Austria and Switzerland. To determine key conservation risk parameters, we estimated inbreeding (FROH) and current and historical effective population size (Ne). The observed estimates for Czech and Slovak indigenous breed show similar values as other alpine goat breeds. In addition, by comparing genetic differences by Neighbour-net, no differences were recorded between the Czech-Slovak WSG. The study provides data and information utilizable in the management of conservation programs planned to reduce inbreeding and to minimize loss of genetic variability.

This study explored the genomic diversity and selection signatures in two Slovakian national breeds, the Original Valachian and the Improved Valachian sheep. As they are an important animal genetic resource within the country, but with decreasing population size, our aim is to identify potentially valuable genomic regions. A total of 97 sheep (18 male and 79 female) from the Original Valachian, and 69 sheep (25 male and 44 female) from the Improved Valachian populations were genotyped using the GeneSeek GGP Ovine 50 K chip. The inbreeding levels were assessed with runs of homozygosity (ROH). The selection signatures within breeds were identified based on the top 1% of most homozygous regions within the breed, the so-called ROH islands. The selection signatures between breeds were assessed based on variance in linkage disequilibrium. Overall, we have identified selection signatures with quantitative trait loci (QTL) and genes pointing towards all three production purposes of the Valachian sheep, milk, meat, and wool, including their quality characteristics. Another group with apparent large importance was the various traits related to health and resistance to parasites, which is well in line with the sturdy nature of this breed.

A trial was conducted on lambing ewes of Tsigai and Improved Valachian breeds in the 1st to the 3rd lactation in 2017 and in the 1st to 4th lactation in 2018. The lambing ewes were housed and managed under the same conditions over the experimental period. Milk samples for determination of SCC (Fossomatic 90, Foss Electric Co., Denmark) and contents of solids (% S), proteins (% P),fat (% F) and lactose (% L) (Multispec infrared analyzer) were taken by ewe milking in S period after intravenous application of oxytocin (5 i.u./ewe) and as part of milk recording at morning hand milking in M period. Milk samples were taken in such a way to be representative ones of the ewe’s whole milk yield. Daily milk production (MP) was also recorded in individual ewes on the day ofmilk sampling; in S period, it was calculated from a milk quantity produced within a 4 h interval and milked after

Article Details: Received: 2020-10-14 | Accepted: 2020-11-27 | Available online: 2021-01-31 https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2021.24.mi-prap.85-88 The aim of the study was to determine the influence of selected climatic characteristics on the milk production of ewes during lactation. Data of ewes from sheep farm Liptovská Teplička located in moderate climate zone (latitude 48°57'50.3"N, longitude 20°04'31.0"E) were analysed. In period from 2017 to 2019, the following milk traits: total morning milk production (TMPM), total evening milk production (TMPE), total morning+evening production (TMPM+E) and average daily milk production per ewe (ADMP) were measured on a daily basis. Traditional (Carpatian) production system was applied: ewes were on pasture and machine milked twice a day. Climate characteristics were monitored in 10-minute intervals by standard weather station (supplier: firm PHYSICUS), located near sheep farm. The influence of air temperature - T (°C), of relative humidity - RH (%), of wind speed (m.s -1 ) and of total precipitation (mm)recorded daily between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. in period from April to September on milk traits was analysed. Temperature-humidity index (THI) was calculated according to National Research formula. The influence of year, of month and of interaction year x month was also analysed. Covariance analysis and Pearson correlation coefficients using statistical programme SASv9.2 (procedures GLM and CORR) were employed. The influence of month and of interaction year x month, respectively, on milk traits was found (P<0.001). Temperature significantly influenced TMPM+E (P<0.01) and ADMP (P<0.05). The remaining climate characteristics, mainly wind speed and RH had not significant influence on milk traits. Heat-humidity index significantly influenced TMPM (P<0.001) and ADMP (P<0.01), respectively. Residual correlation between ADMP and THI was -0.166 (P<0.001). Three of four milk traits of ewes assigned to group cold stress (THI<40.0) were significantly lower (P<0.05) than respective milk traits of ewes milked in days without heat or cold stress (THI >40.0 and THI <= 68.0). Preliminary results suggest that milk production traits of dairy sheep may be significantly influenced by climate also in moderate climatic zone. Keywords: sheep, thermal stress, milk yield, temperate zone References Al Dawood, A. 2017. Towards heat stress management in small ruminants – a review. Ann. Anim. Sci., 17(1), 59-88. DOI: 10.1515/aoas-2016-0068 Finocchiaro, R., Van Kaam, J.B.C.H.M., Portolano, B., Misztal, I. 2005. Effect of heat stress on production of Mediterranean dairy sheep. J. Dairy Sci. , 88, 1855-1864. Gauly, M., Ammer, S. 2020. Review: Challenges for dairy cow production systems arising from climate changes. Animal,. 14:S1, s196-s203. doi:10.1017/S1751731119003239 Gauly, M., Bollwein, H., Breves, G., Brugemann, K., Danicke, S., Das, G., Demeler, J., Hansen, H., Isselstein, J., Konig, S., Loholter, M., Martinshon, M., Meyer, U., Potthoff, M., Sanker, C., Schroder, B., Wrange, N., Meibaum, B., von Samson-Himmelstjerna, G., Stinshof, Wrenzycki, C., 2013. Future consequences and challenges for dairy cow production systems arising from climate change in Central Europe – a review. Animal, 7, 843-859. doi:10.1017/S1751731112002352 Ramón, M., Díaz, C., Pérez-Guzman, M.D., Carabaño, M.J. 2016. Effect of exposure to adverse climatic conditions on production in Manchega dairy sheep. J. Dairy Sci., 99 , 5764-5779. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-10909 Hamzaoui, S., Salama, A.A.K., Albanell, E., Such, X., Caja, G. 2013. Physiological responses and lactational performances of late-lactation dairy goats under heat stress conditions. J. Dairy Sci., 96, 6355-6365 . http://dx.doi.org/ 10.3168/jds.2013-6665 National Research Council (NRC). 1971. A guide to envronmental research on animals. Washington, DC: National Academy of Science. Sánches-Molano, E., Kapsona, V.V., Ilska, J.J., Desire, S., Conington, J., Mucha, S., Banos., G. 2019. Genetic analysis of novel phenotypes for farm animal resilience to weather variability. BMC Genetics., 20-84. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-019-0787-z Silanikove, N., N. Koluman (Darcan). 2015. Impact of climate change on the dairy industry in temperate zones: predications on the overall negative impact and on the positive role of dairy goats in adaptation to earth warming. Small Rumin Res ., 123, 27-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2014.11.005

The aim of the present study was to compare the chemical composition and fatty acid (FA) content of the muscle tissues of lambs and adult sheep bred for meat production. Throughout the research period, the animals were managed in a confinement indoor system under uniform environmental conditions. After slaughter, meat samples collected from the musculus biceps femoris were used to determine the basic chemical composition and fatty acid content in the intramuscular fat. The analyses showed that, compared to lambs, meat from adult animals exhibited a more beneficial ratio of n-6 to n-3 FAs, as well as a favorable percentage of OFAs (dietary fatty acids having an undesirable hypercholesterolemic effect on humans). The results of this study support the inclusion of dietitian-recommended mutton into the human diet and the promotion of the production of meat from adult animals as a high-value product. The sheep industry could benefit economically, particularly in countries where this meat type has not enjoyed a high standing in consumer preferences.

The objectives were to analyse ewe milk and lamb growth traits of Slovak Dairy sheep breed. Three lamb rearing systems were formed, i.e., ARM2: ewes milked twice daily throughout a whole lactation, lambs fed with milk replacer almost from birth to weaning; TRM1: ewes milked once daily and suckled by lambs in pre-weaning period; TRM0: ewes exclusively suckled by lambs in pre-weaning period. After weaning, all ewes were milked twice daily. General linear models were used for analyses of ewe daily/cumulative milk yields, fat, protein and lactose percentages/yields, usable dry matter yields and somatic cell scores in pre-weaning, post-weaning and lactation periods, and lamb live weights at birth/selected ages and their daily gains from birth to weaning. Lamb rearing system, ewe parity/age and litter size were considered as fixed factors. Additionally, lamb sex was included in growth analyses. The significantly highest cumulative milk yield was found in ARM2 ewes (202 +/- 7 I); lower yield (by 17 and 64 I) was found in TRM1 and TRM0 ewes, respectively. In pre-weaning period, fat percentage and yield were significantly lower in TRM1 ewes (2.75 +/- 0.14% and 0.85 +/- 0.12 kg) than in ARM2 ewes (4.40 +/- 0.13% and 2.76 +/- 0.12 kg) as lamb contact makes ewes to with hold certain amounts of milk and fat in alveoli while machine milking to remain for offspring. No significant differences in daily gains among TRM1, TRM0 and ARM2 lambs were found (0.260 +/- 0.007, 0.277 +/- 0.006 and 0.259 +/- 0.008 kg, respectively). Summarizing, without negative effect on lamb growth, TRM1 system seems to be the most appropriate.

The aim of the research was to evaluate the influence of sex, breeding group, litter size and age of lambs when placed in lambing pens for their growth rate during rearing. The average daily gain of lambs was evaluated based on their weighing data each week after their placement into lambing pens. Lambs of Improved Valachian, Tsigai and Lacaune breed (n=26) had been gradually integrated to the experiment. Artificial rearing was carried out using a feed slot machine. All lambs were weighted on a digital scale with an accuracy of 0.1 kg at birth, when placed in the lambing pens and then every week until weaning. The breeding group factor had no statistically significant effect on the average daily gain during milk rearing. The average daily gains of lambs at the end of milk rearing were the same for all experimental grups. The ewe lambs at the end of milk rearing reached a higher average daily gain than ram lambs; but we did not detect statistically significant influence of sex on the average daily gain. The litter size factor had a highly significant effect (P<0.01) only on the growth rate of lambs during the first week after beieng placed in the lambing pens. At the end of milk rearing, the average daily gain was the same for single-litter-lambs and twin-litter-lambs too. The difference of the age of their placement into lambing pens had no statistically significant effect on the weight of the lambs at the end of milk rearing. Statistically significant effect (P<0.05) was found in lambs of different age at their placement in the lambing pens on the average daily gain from placing in to the end of milk rearing. The lambs involved in rearing had a lower weight gains when placed into the lambing pens at an older age.

Udder morphology traits were measured and subjectively assessed by the use of linear scores and cistern cross-section areas were scanned by ultrasound machine, and were examined in 266 dairy ewes of Tsigai (TS), Improved Valachian (IV) and Lacaune (LC) dairy ewes. Measurements were recorded repeatedly within and between lactations, therefore 772 sets of measurements were collected in total. Analysis of variance was conducted with the mixed procedure of SAS statistical package. The model included effects of experimental day, parity, day in milk, random effect of animal and residual error. Subsequently correlations between random animal effects for udder measurements and linear scores were computed. Subjectively assessed linear scores for udder depth, cistern depth, teat angle and teat size showed high correlations with actual measurements of appropriate traits on udder in all examined breeds (rp=0.65–0.80).

Morphology of udder in ewes in one experimental herd was examined on the basis of linear evaluation (7 traits; 9 points scale; 1145 data for each trait) and exact measurements of udder (6 parameters; 1055 measurements at each trait) were taken. Estimation of covariance components and genetic parameters were done using REML and BLUP-AM (VCE 4.0 package) for 7 traits (linear evaluation) or 6 traits (udder measurements) . Heritability coefficients for individual traits of linear evaluation varied from 0.090–0.294. Heritability coefficient (h2) for teat position was 0.242, 0.275 for teat size , and 0.294 for cistern depth, which is related to teat position. The highest value of genetic correlation (rg=0.980) was found between cistern depth and teat position. Negative genetic correlation was detected between teat position and teat size (–0.381), and teat position and udder cleft (–0.404). Heritability coefficients and genetic correlations of exact measurements of udder were comparable with traits of linear evaluation. For the parameter, udder length and rear udder depth, the detected band-measures were h2 = 0.219 or 0.223. Highest h2 was found for cistern depth (0.480), teat length (0.358) and teat angle (0.290) similar to linear evaluation.

Udder morphology and milking characteristics are one of the factors determining milkability in dairy ewes. Udder morphology traits were measured and subjectively assessed by the use of linear scores in 150 ewes of Lacaune (LC) and East Friesian (EF) dairy breeds. Linear scores were assessed for udder depth, cistern depth, teat placement, teat length, udder attachment, udder cleft, and udder shape. Nine traits characterized by milk production and milkability were analyzed in machine milking conditions (150 measurements). Analysis of variance was done by the GLM procedure of SAS statistical package. Extraordinary great variability in all traits of linear udder evaluation was detected, as well as in traits connected with milk production and milkability. The obtained results suggest that LC breed has better milkability parameters than EF breed. The differences in milk production and analysed parameters of milkability were too large between the individual flocks.