Czech Journal of Animal Science, 2008 (vol. 53), issue 5
Analysis of mRNA expression of CNN3, DCN, FBN2, POSTN, SPARC and YWHAQ genes in porcine foetal and adult skeletal muscles
K. Bílek, A. Knoll, A. Stratil, K. Svobodová, P. Horák, R. Bechyňová, M. Van Poucke, L.J. Peelman
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2008, 53(5):181-186 | DOI: 10.17221/313-CJAS 
Skeletal muscle growth is determined by the number of prenatally formed fibres and by the degree of their postnatal hypertrophy; i.e. prenatal development may influence the postnatal growth. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to identify genes more expressed in fetal hind limb muscles of Piétrain pigs (44 days of gestation) compared to the adult biceps femoris. Six potential functional candidate genes (CNN3, DCN, FBN2, POSTN, SPARC and YWHAQ) were selected to verify the SSH results using real-time RT-PCR. Expression levels of the studied genes were significantly higher (P< 0.05)...
Calving difficulty as related to body weights and measurements of cows and calves in a herd of Gascon breed
D. Bureš, L. Bartoň, R. Zahrádková, V. Teslík, M. Fiedlerová
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2008, 53(5):187-194 | DOI: 10.17221/312-CJAS
This study was conducted to evaluate the body weights and measurements of 86 Gascon calves and their dams. The effects of the course of parturition, parity of the dams, sex of the calves, and live- or stillborn calves were analysed. Phenotypic correlations between different measurements and calf birth weight as well as the course of parturition were calculated. Internal pelvic measurements were significantly associated with the occurrence of assisted calvings and stillborn calves. Primiparous cows had a smaller pelvic area, lower live weight, and more frequent difficulty in calving compared to older cows. A higher incidence of difficult calvings was...
The dynamics of changes in selected parameters in relation to different air temperature in the farrowing house for sows
S. Odehnalová, A. Vinkler, P. Novák, J. Drábek
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2008, 53(5):195-203 | DOI: 10.17221/310-CJAS
The purpose of this study was to analyse the influence of different external air temperature on changes in the air temperature of housing environment in the farrowing house for sows and consequent changes in selected parameters of performance in purebred Landrace sows and gilts. Raw data were analysed for 236 litters. The litters were born from October 2004 to March 2006. Air temperature in the farrowing house was monitored in the sow's living zone and was closely related to changes in external air temperature (P < 0.01). At the optimal internal temperatures for lactating sows (16-22°C) during mild winter the lowest incidence of stillbirths...
Improvement of accuracy in the estimation of lean meat content in pig carcasses
M. Vítek, J. Pulkrábek, L. Vališ, L. David, J. Wolf
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2008, 53(5):204-211 | DOI: 10.17221/314-CJAS
Fat thickness including skin and muscle depth measured on the left carcass side between the second and third from the last rib 70 mm off the dorsal midline were measured in a total of 168 pig hybrid carcasses. The lean meat content was then determined on the basis of simplified dissections of the carcasses. Multiple regressions of the measurements of the fat and muscle thickness on the lean meat content obtained by dissections were used to construct the following basic regression formulae for the ultrasound and probe apparatuses: γIS-D-05 = 60.69798 - 0.89211SIS-D-05 + 0.10560MIS-D-05 and γ IS-D-15...
The long-term administration of a clinoptilolite-supplemented feed to layers and its effect on performance, haematological parameters and metabolic profile
E. Straková, P. Suchý, I. Herzig, V. Šerman, N. Mas
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2008, 53(5):212-218 | DOI: 10.17221/311-CJAS
120 selected layers (Bovans Goldline hybrid) aged 19 weeks with an average weight of 1 735 g were divided into two balanced groups: control group (Group C) and experimental (Group E). Layers were reared in three-tier cages with automatic watering, manual feeding, and at controlled light and temperature regimens. One cage accommodated two layers, the floor surface area was 0.1125 m2 per layer. The experiment started after a 20-day adaptation period with layers aged 22 weeks (Week 22) and ended when layers were 68 weeks old (Week 68). In a period of initiation (i.e. Weeks 19-38), layers were fed the complete feeding mixture N1. Then they received...
Effect of dietary sources of roasted oilseeds on blood parameters and milk fatty acid composition
Z.L. Liu, D.P. Yang, P. Chen, S.B. Lin, X.Y. Jiang, W.S. Zhao, J.M. Li, W.X. Dong
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2008, 53(5):219-226 | DOI: 10.17221/309-CJAS
The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of supplementing the basal diet with oilseeds on blood parameters and composition of milk fatty acids, especially conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Forty-eight lactating Holstein cows in early lactation were used in a randomized block design. The cows in each group were fed the control basal diet (the control diet) or diets containing roasted soybean (RSB), roasted linseed (RLS), roasted sunflower seed (RSS), hulled roasted peanut (HRP) and roasted cottonseed (RCS), respectively. Milk yield and dry matter intake (DMI) were not significantly different. Milk fat percentage and yield decreased (P...