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The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of farm conditions and season of birth on body mass, respiratory system diseases and diarrhea occurrence, and mortality during the first month of calves' life. The study was conducted on two tie-stall-system farms with intensive milk production and similar nutrition of dairy cows, but with differences in rearing conditions of calves in the first week of life. The calves were tied on lying area with straw as bedding material (farm A) or free in individual boxes with straw bedding (farm B). In the first consumption, they take 1-2 L of colostrum produced by their mother or by another cow (farm A), or 2.5-3 L of colostrum produced by their mother or by another cow or frozen colostrum (farm B). According to the results, average body mass of calves was significantly higher on farm B than of those on farm A at all ages (on birth, at 8 days, and 30 days). Mortality rate and diarrhea occurrence in calves were higher on farm B, while respiratory system diseases incidence was higher on farm A. All observed welfare indicators were very significantly (P lt 0.01) influenced by farm conditions and birth season.

The aim of this study was to investigate changes of serum testosterone, scrotal circumference, body weight, and semen characteristics in a Meat Institute Sheep (MIS) population during their developing period (between 3 and 17 months). Correlative relationships among parameters were also tested. Body weight and scrotal circumference were measured monthly, blood samples for testosterone levels were taken bimonthly (3-17 months), and semen samples were collected by an electroejaculator between the ages of 9 and 17 months. The analysis showed that the average serum testosterone levels ranged from 1.83 to 13.28 ng/mL and significantly depended on the age of the lambs (P lt 0.05). The trend in the level of serum testosterone was characterized by pronounced variability throughout the study period. Changes in scrotal circumference and body weight were significantly dependent on age. Ejaculate volume, sperm motility, and the percentage of live spermatozoa increased with age, except for the percentage of abnormal spermatozoa, which decreased with age. Correlations among serum testosterone, scrotal circumference, and body weight were moderately to highly positive and highly significant. All parameters of semen quality were poorly correlated with testosterone and body weight, while scrotal circumference was in moderate correlation only with ejaculate volume and live sperm count (P lt 0.05).