Here we clarify the specific expression and mechanism of the EPH receptor and Ephrin during the development of hair follicles, as well as their upstream and downstream signaling pathways and activation pathways. This study verified the effect of EPHA4 and Ephrin A3 genes on fine-hair follicles through RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry testing. It is of great significance as it could speed up the promotion of breeding sheep for wool.

Our findings provide valuable genetic markers for litter size in sheep.

This research aimed to determine the effects of body weight, the body condition score (BCS), body measurements, birth type, birth weight and sex on the gestational length in sheep. The lowest and highest gestational lengths were found to be 148.90 and 151.41 d respectively. It is thought that the use of the BCS, which is easily applied by the breeder, will have a positive effect on determining the bodily reserves of sheep and the reproductive efficiency as well as on obtaining healthy lambs.

Fatty acid composition in the intramuscular fat of the musculus longissimus dorsi of Ile de France purebred lambs in two production systems (lambs and ewes were assigned to pasture and fed without concentrates vs. lambs and ewes were assigned to a stable and fed with hay/silage and concentrates) was evaluated using gas chromatography. An analysis of variance was used for comparison. No such comparison had previously been carried out in Slovakia. Meat from lambs assigned to pasture was better.