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The losses of piglets in commercial pig farming remain at concerning levels and need to be addressed through the implementation of new sustainable breeding and management strategies. In fact, piglets are especially at risk in the first days of life. Both genetics and the farrowing process have been shown to impact piglet vitality. In addition, knowledge of the animal-intrinsic responses in adapting to extra-uterine life is particularly important but is scarcely described in the scientific literature. In this review, the three phases that constitute neonatal adaptation in the pig are systematically presented. The first phase of early adaptation involves primarily the development of cardiorespiratory function (within the first 10 min of life) as well as thermoregulatory processes and acid-base balance (up to 24 h of life). In the second phase, homeostasis is established, and organ maturation takes place (up to 14 d post natum). The final third phase aims at the development of neurological, immunological and muscular features (up to 28 d of life). The involvement of aggravating and ameliorating factors such as dystocia, low colostrum yield and heat supply is key to the development of strategies to reduce piglet losses and increase vitality. The insights are of particular value in addressing current concerns in pig farming and to further improve animal welfare in pig production across different management types., Competing Interests: The contact author has declared that none of the authors has any competing interests., (Copyright: © 2022 Benjamin Diehl et al.)

Horses are seasonal breeders with a natural breeding season beginning in spring and extending through midsummer. In this study, quantitative and qualitative parameters of chilled stallion semen were compared between fertile and subfertile stallions and between the breeding and the non-breeding season. Semen quality parameters compared included ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, total sperm number, sperm morphology, and computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA)-derived sperm movement characteristics obtained from two groups of warmblood stallions ( n = 8 ; four fertile stallions and four subfertile stallions), which differ in the seasonal pregnancy rate 80 %-90 % (fertile) vs. 40 %-60 % (subfertile). A total of 64 ejaculates were collected from the stallions ( n = 8 ; four in the breeding season and four in the non-breeding season of each stallion). No significant differences in the semen quality parameters between the fertile and the subfertile stallions in the non-breeding season were observed. However, in the breeding season the proportion of morphologically normal sperm, total motility, progressive motility, average path velocity (VAP), and curvilinear velocity (VCL) were significantly higher in the fertile group ( P < 0.05 ) when compared with the subfertile group. In addition, a significant seasonal variation in the proportion of morphological normal sperm was found in the fertile group between the breeding and the non-breeding season ( P < 0.05 ). Moreover, significant seasonal variations ( P < 0.05 ) in CASA parameters of mean VAP, straight line velocity (VSL), and beat-cross frequency (BCF) were observed in the fertile and the subfertile stallions, which tended to be lower in the non-breeding season. In conclusion, differences between the fertile and the subfertile stallions were observed only in the breeding season, and a few of CASA-derived parameters seemed to be significantly lower during the non-breeding season in both the fertile and the subfertile stallions., (Copyright: © 2020 Yara Suliman et al.)