ABSTRACT Farmers play a key role in conserving native livestock breeds, but without economic support, farms with native breeds may not be viable. We hypothesized that terminal crossbreeding can improve herd economy and decrease the economic support needed from society. Three scenarios were simulated using SimHerd Crossbred: a herd of purebred Swedish Polled Cattle, a herd of purebred Swedish Red, and

ABSTRACT Seven Swedish domestic goats (Capra hircus, 2–3 years) and their kids (37 ± 4 days) were subjected to indoor temperatures above 30°C during 15 days (periods H1–H4; periods without heat C1, C2) to study acclimation. Rectal temperature (RT) increased by 1.1°C during H1 to H3 (P < 0.001 vs. C1), but only by 0.6°C during H4 (P < 0.001 vs. C1; P < 0.024 vs. H1). Respiration rate (RR) increased

ABSTRACT The aim was to evaluate the effect of two different rearing systems, indoor small pens (S) and big pens with outdoor access (B), on meat quality and fatty acid (FA) composition of two slow growing broiler hybrids (Rowan Ranger [RR] and Hubbard CYJA57 [H]). In addition, changes in the phospholipid FA composition, due to the possibility of more movement, were investigated. The results regarding

ABSTRACT We aimed to study to what extent body condition and skin soiling in cattle are rated differently depending on the profession, education and professional experience of assessors. Data were collected at 15 group-training sessions in the years 2009–2016. Totally, 569 persons; Swedish animal welfare inspectors, veterinarians/advisers, animal welfare scientists, other animal professionals as well

ABSTRACT A morphometric characterization study was conducted using purebred Baoulé cattle and two crossbreds’ populations in the southwestern region of Burkina-Faso. A total of 421 cattle, including 266 crossbreds from the department of Kampti and Loropeni and 155 purebred Baoulé, from the department of Bouroum-Bouroum were measured for quantitative and qualitative traits. The quantitative traits were

ABSTRACT Although Norway is the largest sheep meat producer in Scandinavia and Norwegian Muslims are expected to double in population in the next decade, the overall local per capita red meat consumption is still low. Meanwhile, Norwegian Muslims’ purchasing preferences on lamb meat products have not been investigated. This paper presents the results of a choice-based conjoint survey which would help

ABSTRACT The use of by-products containing high fibre and protein has increased in pig feeding due to the need of the increase of the plant protein self-sufficiency of the EU. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of increasing by-products inclusion on growth performance and feed efficiency in growing-finishing pigs in the course of using a relatively high dietary NDF level in two-phase

This study combined exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Lasso regression to give a deeper insight into production-economic variables affecting short-run dairy cow lifetime profit, DCLP, at the farm level. The study rests on data on heifer growth, feeding, financial, and production variables from 13 farms. We calculated costs and income for an average animal per month and herd. Costs and income were

ABSTRACT The whole-farm model HolosNorBeef was used to estimate the efficiency of GHG emission mitigation strategies in Norwegian beef cattle herds. Various mitigation scenarios, involving female reproductive performance (i.e. calf mortality rate and the number of calves produced per cow per year), production efficiency of young bulls for slaughter (i.e. age at slaughter and carcass weight), and supplementation

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effect of commercial probiotic supplementation in diet on apparent digestibility of forage fibre fractions, namely acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), cellulose, and hemicellulose in Indonesian thin-tailed rams. Twenty Indonesian local rams (22 ± 0.7 kg of live weight) were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments. The treatments were

ABSTRACT We estimated the effect of inbreeding on racing performance in the Standardbred trotter. A random sample of 1,217 horses with organized pedigree was utilized to calculate individual proportions of French and American ancestry and their heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficients. Average earnings per start for the 807 raced horses summarized between three and five years of age were analysed

ABSTRACT Sow litter sizes have increased recently, and there is a lack of data on the effect of litter size on sow health and sow medical treatment. This study investigated associations between litter size and medical treatment of sows, using data for a 10-year period from one Swedish research farm. The data comprised 1947 litters from 655 Yorkshire sows. Association between litter size and medical

The aims of this paper were to explore which factors explain (i) the direct emission of CO2 from on-farm use of fuel to harvest forage and (ii) the costs of different harvesting management practices. Data on harvesting practices, CO2 emission and forage costs were collected through farm visits on 184 dairy farms in all regions of Norway in 2017 and 2018. To analyze data, machine learning methods were

ABSTRACT The aims of this paper were to explore which factors explain (i) the direct emission of CO2 from on-farm use of fuel to harvest forage and (ii) the costs of different harvesting management practices. Data on harvesting practices, CO2 emission and forage costs were collected through farm visits on 184 dairy farms in all regions of Norway in 2017 and 2018. To analyze data, machine learning methods

ABSTRACT To evaluate dietary addition of soybean oil (SBO) on growth, rumen fermentation, carcass and meat traits, 21 male Rambouillet lambs (2.5-mo-old and weighing 18 ± 1.45 kg) were distributed randomly to a diet with 0, 25 or 50 g SBO/kg dry matter. Trial lasted 60 d. Dietary SBO did not affect growth, carcass traits or muscle conformation. Energy intake, dorsal fat and fatness degree, as well

ABSTRACT This experiment evaluated the effects of inclusion of three different types of calcium salts (CaS): mixed fatty acids, 70% palmitic acid-based and rapeseed oil-based, on milk production and milk fatty acid composition. Dietary treatments were randomly assigned to six mid-lactation dairy cows in a double Latin square experimental design with three 21-days experimental periods. All cows received

ABSTRACT We investigated the post-weaning effect of providing additional objects (i.e. rope, ball, tyre) to commercial piglets given straw pre- and post-weaning on behaviour and average daily gain (ADG). Piglets from litters with objects (O, n = 20 in 5 litters) and controls (C, n = 20 in 5 litters) were observed from 24 h post-weaning and during six days. Piglets were weighed at birth, weaning and

Displacement and admixture are threatening the survival and genetic integrity of the European dark bee, Apis mellifera mellifera. Studies on the phenotype-genotype map and genotype by environment interactions in honey bees are demonstrating that variation at subspecies level exists and is worth conserving. SNP-based tools for monitoring genetic integrity in bees have been developed, but are not yet

Propionibacterium thoenii strain T159 (5 × 1011 CFU) were administered daily in the rumen of four Norwegian Red dairy cows. Total Propionibacterium in the rumen were substantially increased during and after the treatment with T159 relative to the background. Strain T159 was able to persist for at least five days in the rumen of dairy cows at high dry matter intake (3.9% of body weight).

The aims of this study were to analyze the inbreeding (F) in a colony of Labrador Retriever (LR) guide dogs using information from pedigrees and to verify its role in increasing the occurrence of various genetic diseases (hereditary eye diseases, heart problems, hip and elbow dysplasia). Pedigree data and medical reports were collected for 40 LR bred for training by the National Guide Dog School (NGDS)

(2020). Editorial. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A — Animal Science: Vol. 69, Together we are stronger - Nordic Cooperation for Conservation and a Sustainable Use of Animal Genetic Resources, pp. 1-1.

This study aims to investigate calving difficulties, birth-, weaning- and carcass weight, herd life of cow, age at slaughter, average daily carcass gain, carcass conformation, carcass fatness and carcass income per carcass, kg or day, in Aberdeen Angus (A), Hereford (H), Charolais (C), Limousin (L), Simmental (S), Norwegian red (N) and their crosses, in order to evaluate crossbreeding strategies. Direct

(2020). An endangered horse breed can be conserved by using optimum contribution selection and preselection of stallions. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A — Animal Science: Vol. 69, Together we are stronger - Nordic Cooperation for Conservation and a Sustainable Use of Animal Genetic Resources, pp. 127-130.

ABSTRACT Thirty-one strains of propionic acid bacteria were screened for their effects on methane production and volatile fatty acid concentrations using in vitro assays of rumen fluid from Norwegian dairy cows and a grass silage–concentrate mixture as substrate. Nine of 31 strains were further analysed for effects on substrate degradation. Propionic acid bacteria led to reductions of up to 20% in

Breed assignment was performed for pigs putatively belonging to Pied Danish Pigs, an endangered Danish conservation breed. DNA array data were available for the candidates who had insufficient pedigree information. So were data for a reference population of animals from Danish conservation breeds as well as data from a range of Northern European pig breeds, and wild boar. Breed proportions were estimated

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate genetic diversity within and between lines at the Norwegian live poultry gene bank as well as assessing the conservation value in an international context. Eight lines including the national breed, Jærhøns, were genotyped with the 600K Affymetrix® Axiom® Chicken Genotyping Array. The white egg layers were generally more inbred than the brown layers. Comparative

ABSTRACT The Norwegian coastal goat is a national and endangered breed. Coastal goat populations are mainly divided with a large mainland and two small island populations. The objective of this study is to describe genetic diversity in the feral Skorpa island population and its relationship to the mainland coastal goat population (Selje) using the Norwegian milk goat population as a reference. Analyses

The Finnish Landrace breed of chickens (in Finnish suomalainen maatiaiskana) traces its origins to almost 1,000 years ago. Today, remnant populations of phenotypically distinct lineages are maintained by a network of volunteer hobbyists in Finland, managed by Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). Guided by a prior Major Histocompatibility Complex B-locus haplotype study, we sought now to characterize

The Nordic countries are committed to conserving farm animal genetic diversity. National reports on phenotypic and genetic characterization point towards a lack of characterization for many Nordic native breeds. Little to no knowledge on the traits of the animals and their derived products leads to potential remaining untapped. The objective of this study was to provide a quantitative assessment of

ABSTRACT The Fjord horse originates from Norway but forms a global population due to several small populations in foreign countries. There exists no information about the additive relationship and the genetic variance between these subpopulations. By collecting blood samples from Norwegian and Swedish Fjord horses, a sample of 311 Norwegian and 102 Swedish horses gave 485,918 SNPs available for analysis

Icelandic cattle is believed to have been brought from Norway during the settlement of Iceland around AD 870-930. Previous research on genetic relationships has indicated that Icelandic cattle is most related to northern Nordic indigenous breeds. Using single nucleotide polymorphism genotype data from Icelandic cattle and 29 Northern and Western European cattle breeds, we studied relationships and

ABSTRACT The Swedish Mountain (Fjäll) cattle and the subpopulation Fjällnära originates from northern Sweden. They are differentiated from both traditional and commercial cattle from southern Sweden. We analysed data from the GGP HD150k SNP array and investigated genetic diversity and differences between Fjäll and Fjällnära, and between different groups of Fjällnära. We found that the Fjällnära can

Mineral and fatty acid composition in milk from two minor native dairy breeds in Denmark; Danish Red 1970 (RDM-1970) and Jutland cows were analyzed. Results showed that for most compositional traits breed only played a minor role, whereas management and feeding played a significant role. Biodynamic management and very low milk yield resulted in a very characteristic fatty acid composition and a strongly

Genetic diversity in livestock animals has become recognized as important genetic resource for future sustainable livestock production. Especially native breeds, adapted to their local environment, are of considerable interest. Here, we report a genome-wide characterization of two native Danish sheep breeds, the Danish Landrace sheep and the Danish White-Headed Marsh sheep. We investigated the genetic

In the joint breeding population of the Norwegian and North-Swedish cold-blooded trotters, formerly suggested actions concerning sire selection strategies due to reduced genetic variation have not been implemented. The aim of this study was therefore to update the status regarding genetic variation and to explore the cluster structure and evaluate if such a tool could give an immediate action to maintain

Norwegian Elkhound Grey is used for both leashed and non-leashed tracking. This study provides influence of fixed effects and estimates of genetic parameters of traits related to both types of tracks. In total, 5393 records from 1991 animals tested in the years 1995–2014 on lashed performance (5 traits), and 5405 records from 2070 animals tested in the years 2005–2014 on non-leashed performance (10