Cortisol is a steroid hormone, one of the glucocorticoids, made in the cortex of the adrenal glands and then released into the blood, which transports it in the entire body. Almost every cell contains receptors for cortisol and so cortisol can have lots of different actions depending on which sort of cells it is acting upon. These effects include controlling the body’s blood sugar levels and thus regulating metabolism, acting as an anti-inflammatory product, controlling salt and water balance and influencing blood pressure. The study was conducted over a period of 3 months, between March-August 2020, in 2 swine farms in Iasi county, Romania, on a total of 46 pigs, 3 to 4 months old, both males and females, in order to investigate stress levels in finishing facilities. The study revealed higher levels of cortisol while eosinophil counts severely decreased, changes which are associated with a strong reaction to stress for individuals that were housed in finishing facilities.
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that regulates a wide range of vital processes throughout the body, including metabolism and the immune response. It also has a very important role in helping the body respond to stress. Numerous studies have been conducted around the world to compare the development rates of pigs raised indoors to those raised outdoors, but the results have been ambiguous and, in many cases, conflicting. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of various housing systems (indoors with no free access to outdoor runs or indoors with free access to outdoor runs) on stress levels and slaughter value in growing-finishing pigs.
This study focuses on monitoring the sexual behaviours of male and female goats (Capra hircus) at each stage of mounting and observing sexual reflexes and related peculiarities. The ethological behaviours of females and males were observed twice per day, between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. and between 19:00 and 21:00 p.m, and the anatomical parts of females in estrus were inspected and scanned. Each mount was recorded using a video camera. A digital timer was also used to record the stages of sexual act (prelude and copulation). The sexual behaviours of a common breed of goats reared in non-professional holdings was studied in August, September and October 2020 and 2021. Sexual behaviour was observed in a total of 24 goats, 5 males, aged 3–8 years, and 19 females, aged 1–10 years, raised in a rural area (Priponesti) in Galati County. The data gathered provide details of the sexual behavior of this species, supplementing the information currently available. The most numerous mounts were carried out by the 4-year-old buck (M1 male) with 7 out of 20, representing 35% of the total mounts observed. The mount was characterized by very high duration of courtship (average 98%) compared to the true mounting (average 2%) (p < 0.05). The postlude behavioural manifestations observed were bucks continuing to inspect the anogenital area of the female, wagging their tongues while the goats expressed a characteristic bleat.
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