The aim of this study was to indicate the relationship between various genetic and environmental factors and the results of kits rearing. Among the factors determining the degree of rearing of young kits, genetic factors should be mentioned, especially the color of the mink, and the environmental factors include: duration of labor, age of mothers, mating and laying time, length of pregnancy, litter size, nutrition, body condition the female and her milk yield, indoor microclimate, bacterial and viral diseases, or the care provided by the farm staff. As a result of the analysis, it can be concluded that the number of reared mink babies is influenced by both the color variety and a number of environmental factors, and the mink farmer's task is to get to know all these aspects and treat them comprehensively. The mink breeding should be carried out in such a way that the animal welfare is as good as possible, so that the females give birth to the healthiest and strongest litters.

The study was conducted on King pigeons managed by a private breeder in Poland. The studied population consisted of three years old parent pigeon pairs of the King breed and the their offspring obtained during the breeding season (March-November). The aims of the research involved an evaluation of the reproductive performance of King pigeons, analysis of growth rate, survival, slaughter performance and mineral composition of squab meat. In the analyzed breeding season, an average of 8.7 eggs was obtained per female. The fertilization rate and hatching rate of chicks from fertilized eggs were 80.0% and 75.8%, respectively. The highest weight gain in pigeons was observed between the date of hatching and 4 weeks of age. Pigeons slaughtered at 6 weeks of age were characterized by higher slaughter performance (66.1%) than 4 week-old pigeons (60.4%). Meat of this pigeon breed is a rich source of valuable minerals such as potassium (4060 mg per kg), magnesium (296 mg per kg), iron (52 mg per kg), zinc (9 mg per kg) and silicon (30 mg per kg).

Shape measurement by optical methods is more and more often used in research both in human and veterinary medicine. As a result of the measurement, a set with marker positions in space or a cloud of points representing a scanned surface is obtained. The collected data contains useful information, but to extract it, it is necessary to process the data using appropriate algorithms. The aim of this study was to present the algorithms that the author used to process data for the purposes of analyzes which results and conclusions were included in four articles published earlier. The algorithms concern the determination and identification of markers on the body when measuring the posture of soccer players and the analysis of the cloud of points for determining the angles describing the base and surface of the hoof bones in the polar coordinate system. The measurement systems in which data were collected are also described. Sample results obtained with the presented analysis methods are shown. For the first case these are given directional views of the markers determined in 3D space, while for the other two the result containing information about the calculated angles in the form of a table and a graph are presented. The presented data processing methods and algorithms are not only applicable to the cases on which they were tested. Directly or after a small modification, they can be applied in another area.

The aim of this study was to estimate complete extruded dry food for adult dogs, with a particular focus on: mineral profiles and ratios and the division into breed size. Dog foods were subjected to chemical analyzes to determine the content of macroelements and microelements. Additionally, the presence of heavy metals was verified and mineral ratios were estimated. The material for the research consisted of 15 randomly selected industrial household maintenance foods for adult dogs (five for large breed dogs, five for small breed dogs and five for all breeds dogs). All analyzed feeds met the FEDIAF recommended minimum recommended levels of microelements and macroelements, although the potassium level in 33% of the feeds analyzed was below the recommended minimum. 20% of the feeds tested exceeded the permissible quantitative ratio of calcium to phosphorus. In none of the tested feeds no heavy metals (Ni, Cd, Pb) were found. When choosing a feed, always pay attention to the label and carefully analyze the component of the product.

Canine Degenerative Myelopathy (CDM) is an incurable, chronic, slow progressive, autoimmune disease of the canine spinal cord affecting older dogs, medium to large breeds. Etiopathogenesis is still unknown but the latest data show that mutation of superoxide dismutase 1 gene (SOD1) is known to cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in humans. That is why CDM is a canine model of ALS. The initial clinical sings of spinal cord dysfunction (ataxia, spastic paresis, paraplegia) are commonly mistaken with other common problems (hip dysplasia or intervertebral disc disease). The antemortem diagnosis requires exclusion of them all but definitive confirmation of CDM requires pathologic examination of spinal cord tissue. There is no treatment available but novel therapies are promising. The DNA test is a commercially available tool to help breeders avoid producing CDM "at risk" offspring what significantly reduces the frequency of mutated alleles in future generations.

The aim of this study was to estimate associations between the ANXA9 951A/G polymorphism and milk performance traits (daily milk yield, protein yield, fat yield, protein content and fat content), as well as somatic cell count in milk in 990 Polish Holstein-Friesian cows. The statistical analysis confirmed its significance in shaping the analyzed traits. In most cases, the presence of the allele A was associated with a decrease in the values of the above traits, while in the first lactation a significant additive effect of this allele toward increasing the values of the daily milk yield and SCC was found.

The aim of the study was to compare the intestinal parasite fauna of pigs kept in different production systems.Eggs of four nematode species: Ascaris suum, Oesophagostomum spp.Strongyloides spp.and Trichuris suis as well as Eimeria protozoans were found in fecal samples of the examined pigs.In the farms performing an open production cycle, the percentage of infestation was lower (1.07 to 1.36%) than in the farms with a closed production cycle (13.30to 20%).Differences were found in the scope of infection intensity with particular intestinal parasites depending on the farming system.The Oesphagostomum spp. was found in the largest number of farms (68.6%).Eimeria was located at the second place (42.9%), followed by Ascaris suum (28.6%),Trichuris suis (21.4%) and Strongyloides spp.(11.4%).Interviews with pig breeders showed that in closed-cycle farms, the deworming procedure was being performed sporadically or only after clear clinical symptoms of a parasitic invasion.Our research has confirmed that the problem of intestinal parasites in pigs is still relevant.In pigs, a preventive program should be introduced, in which a parasitological diagnostics will be an important part.

The aim of the study was to comparatively analyze the body type traits in mink of different color variants, over a period of a few years, compared against the current mink evaluation standard. The mink were managed on mink farms located in northwestern Poland. The analysis covered the years 2011-2018. A statistically significant effect of color variant, year of assessment and farm, on which the license took place, was found. The highest average grades for the type were achieved by the mink in 2014, while the color variant achieving best grades was Standard mink. Sapphire mink attained a similar rating. The variability of the assessment of the mink type, measured by the coefficient of variation, ranged within 24.86-33.99%, depending on the adopted criterion. The mink with grade B were characterized by the highest percentage share among the tested animals. These represented 45% of all mink assessed.