Czech Journal of Animal Science, 2024 (vol. 69), issue 3
Enhancing cattle production and management through convolutional neural networks. A reviewReview
Jean de Dieu Marcel Ufitikirezi, Roman Bumbálek, Tomáš Zoubek, Petr Bartoš, Zbyněk Havelka, Jan Kresan, Radim Stehlík, Radim Kuneš, Pavel Olšan, Miroslav Strob, Sandra Nicole Umurungi, Pavel Černý, Marek Otáhal, Luboš Smutný
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2024, 69(3):75-88 | DOI: 10.17221/124/2023-CJAS 
The rise in demand for animal products associated with global population growth has driven the world toward precision livestock farming, where convolutional neural networks (CNN) have gained increasing attention due to their potential to enhance animal health, productivity, and welfare. However, the effectiveness and generalizability of CNN applications in cattle production are limited by several challenges and limitations, which require further research and development to address. This systematic literature review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the applications of CNN in cattle production. It identified some potential applications of...
The nurse sow system ‒ A natural process of handling large litters: A reviewReview
Joab Malanda Osotsi, Gabriella Novotni-Danko, Peter Balogh
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2024, 69(3):89-101 | DOI: 10.17221/158/2023-CJAS
Reproductive performance in pig production has gained genetic momentum resulting in large litters. Several strategies have been used to raise the number of piglets to address the challenge of a large litter size. This review provides a rationale for employing the nurse sow system as a biological way of handling large litters, exploring its step-by-step processes and its selected impacts. By exposing these steps, pig farmers will use the information to pinpoint their weak points in the chain and customize the procedures to meet their farm-specific goals for improved productivity. The nurse sow system helps to maximize pre-weaning survival by boosting...
Effect of three types of oils on intramuscular fat composition of fattened cockerelsOriginal Paper
Eva Straková, Lucie Všetičková, Pavel Suchý
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2024, 69(3):102-109 | DOI: 10.17221/5/2024-CJAS
The aim of the study was to assess the effect of selected vegetable oils on the representation of dietary fatty acids in the muscle of broiler cockerels. The experiment included three groups of one-day-old cockerels of ROSS 308 genotype, 15 individuals each. The feed mixture and drinking water were fed to the cockerels, ad libitum. In accordance with the technological instructions for the hybrid combination ROSS 308, BR1 was fed to chickens up to 9 days of age with the same nutrient and oil (soybean) composition for all three groups. From day 10 to day 28 of fattening the chicks were fed BR2 and from day 29 to day 35 BR3. The components and...
The effect of ellagic acid on rabbit sperm in vitro parameters after cryopreservationOriginal Paper
Jovana Grba, Lenka Kuželová, Alexander Makarevich, Andrej Baláži, Saša Dragin, Dragana Tekić, Peter Chrenek
Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2024, 69(3):110-117 | DOI: 10.17221/142/2023-CJAS
Cryopreservation reduces the antioxidant activity of spermatozoa and makes them more sensitive to damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The addition of antioxidants to the freezing medium could prevent cryo-damage by mitigating the harmful effects of ROS and, thus, protecting the spermatozoa. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ellagic acid (EA) on the rabbit sperm traits after freezing-thawing. Semen samples collected from New Zealand White rabbit males were cryopreserved in a BotuCrio freezing medium (Nidacon, Sweden) supplemented with different concentrations of ellagic acid (EA at 0, 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 mM) using the manual slow freezing...