The influence of regular exercise training and physical activity on distribution of muscle fibre types, fibre cross-sectional areas and the number of adjacent capillaries per fibre type and per fibre (capillarization) was studied in five muscles from 48 female and 48 entire male pigs. In the growth interval from 30 to 100 kg, the pigs were subjected to one of three treatments: individual housing in pens of 2·5 m2 (treatment C), individual housing and treadmill training for 15 minlday at a speed of 4 kmlh, 5 days/week for a period of 70 days (treatment T), and housing in large pens (36 m2, 40 pigs per pen) allowing for spontaneous physical activity (treatment F). In m. longissimus dorsi, treatment F increased the ratio of fast-twitch oxidative (FTa-) to fast twitch glycolytic (FTb-) fibres, elevated the mean fibre cross-sectional area and the number of capillaries per fibre. In m. biceps femoris (BF) from female pigs, the only adaptation found was a marked training-induced (treatment T) increase in the cross-sectional area of the slow-twitch (ST-) fibres. In m. semitendinosus and BF from male pigs, treatments T and F increased the ratio of FTa- to FTb-fibres. Both training and spontaneous activity increased the proportion of ST-fibres in m. trapezius thoracis (0·48 in treatment C, 0·53 in T and 0·52 in F). Conversely in m. psoas major, treatment F increased the proportion of FTa-fibres (0·15 in C and 0·19 in F) at the expense of ST- and intermediate FTc-fibres. Spontaneous activity induced ST-fibre hypertrophy in the five muscles. For several muscles, the mean fibre cross-sectional area was significantly higher in female than in male pigs.

Measurements have been made of the length and diameter of the cervix and caudal ostium position in relation to the vaginal floor in 30 jenny asses of Baudet du Poitou breed and crosses. These measurements were obtained on the 4th, 5th and 6th days of oestrus and the 6th and 8th days of dioestrus. The observed anatomical modifications were mainly associated with the animal's physiological state, age and morphological type (size). The cervical anatomy of the female donkey differs from that of the mare not only in size but also in the existence of a large cervical protrusion into the vagina which can lead to the occurrence of cervical lesions during parturition or from the mechanical action of mating, especially when the female is small. This anatomical conformation also makes intrauterine ejaculation difficult whether by natural service or by artificial insemination.

Five bales were randomly chosen from a stack of 6-month-old barn-stored hay. Four 2·5-kg sections were taken from each bale and subjected to one of four different water wetting treatments, 0-min soak, 10-min soak, 30-min soak and 80-min steaming. Post wetting, the sections were shaken for 9 min under a Negretti LS45F personal dust sampler which sucked-in any particles released into the surrounding air. The sampler contents were then analysed for respirable particle numbers (particles < 5um), and the hay subsampled and analysed for water-soluable carbohydrate, N, Na, K, Ca, P, Mg, Zn, Mn, Fe and Cu. The steaming and soaking treatments all proportionately reduced respirable particle numbers by more than 0·93 of those present in the dry hay. Soaking for 10 min and 30 min significantly reduced levels of P, K, Mg, Na and Cu, whereas the steamed samples showed no loss of nutrients from the levels present in the dry hay. Thus in terms of reducing respirable particle numbers and conserving nutrient levels, steaming for 80 min is the most effective treatment when preparing hay fodder for horses.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a polysaccharide preferably extracted from cockerel combs and used for medical purposes, mainly eye surgery. One way of increasing the production of HA from cockerels is to increase the size of the combs. The aim of this work was to study comb development and quantify direct and correlated responses for comb size at different ages and comb weight in two lines of White Leghorn selected for comb size at two different ages. Two lines were created, one selected for comb size at 16 weeks of age (CS16) (line E = early comb development) and the other for comb size at 29 weeks of age (CS29) (line A = adult comb size). There were between 500 and 800 birds of each line and generation and the lines had been selected for five generations. Cockerels in line E developed the combs at an earlier age and had smaller 29-week combs compared with the cockerels in line A. Genetic gain for the selection trait in generation five, measured in relation to line means in generation 1, was 58% in line E and 36% in line A. The corresponding correlated response for CS29 and comb weight (CW) in line E was 28% and 25% respectively, while for CS16 and CW in line A it was 46% and 35%. The results indicated that it is possible to increase cockerel comb size at both 16 and 29 weeks of age through selection.

Injurious pecking can be a major cause of mortality in growing turkeys, particularly if given a long photoperiod. Consequently, birds are usually reared under low light intensity (<1 lux) and/or have their beaks trimmed. The influence of an 8, 12, 16 or 23 h photoperiod at an intensity of 1 or 10 lux on the performance of intact (not beak trimmed or de-snooded) BUT8 male turkeys was assessed in a 4 X2 empirical study.

Excessive injurious pecking in groups exposed to 10 lux light intensity on >12 h photoperiods necessitated an unscheduled reduction to 1 lux light intensity. Overall, light intensity did not significantly affect food intake, food conversion efficiency, growth or carcass composition. Groups exposed to 10 lux light intensity for all or part of the trial had higher losses and a greater incidence of pecking than birds maintained on al lux light intensity.

Growth was inconsistently affected by photoperiod, with birds on 12 h having the highest body weight at 108 days but no significant differences at 136 days. Patterns of food intake were variable but cumulatively to 136 days food intake was not significantly affected by daylength. Overall, but particularly after 108 days, birds on longer photoperiods converted food more efficiently. Mortality and the incidence of injurious pecking was positively correlated with photoperiod and breast meat yield and testicular weight were greater in birds on longer daylengths. There were no significant interactions between photoperiod and illuminance.

A device for the collection of discrete blood samples from large animals has been developed to allow studies of physiology to be undertaken without the confounding effect of restraint. A microprocessor controlled unit (measuring 180 × 110 × 90 mm), weighing less than 1-2 kg, is mounted on the back of the experimental subject using a simple harness. A sampling line is connected to a previously inserted jugular vein catheter. Samples of blood (approx. 5 ml) are collected at pre-determined times following a start time which can be delayed by up to 48 h to allow the subject to recover from any effects of attachment of the sampler. The results from three studies suggest that the device offers a novel way to overcome a number of difficulties which occur when conventional methods are used to collect blood in experiments.