The aim of the research was to determine the effect of adding flax seeds (Linum usitatissimum) in fattening feed mixtures on fattening and slaughter parameters of pasture raised lambs fed with grass, breast milk and feed mixtures. For this purpose, commercial fodder mixture and fodder mixture enriched with extruded flax seeds were produced in the fodder factory Jata Emona, Ltd in Ljubljana. Additionally, a hypothesis was set to examine the influence of sex on the examined parameters. A total of 96 lambs of the pramenka breed and its hybrids were selected for this study. Three groups were formed: the control group (KON; n = 32) was organized with animals whose diet was based on grazing in combination with breast milk ad libitum; experimental KKS group of lambs (n = 32) which diet consisted of pasture and ad libitum breast milk with additional 300g of commercial fattening feed mixture on a daily basis; and KSL5% experimental group (n = 32) feeding pasture and ad libitum breast milk in addition to 300g of feed mixture enriched with 5% extruded flax seeds.

Domestic animals are of great importance for humans, due to various animal products that are irreplaceable in food and clothing. Owing to the development of the digestive organs and the richness in the microflora of the rumen, some types of domestic animals (ruminants) are able to refine and transform various types of plant nutrients and food by-products into high-value animal products, such as meat, milk and wool. Sheep breeding in our country is significantly less important than cattle breeding, meaning that the sheep production is not satisfactory. Numerous factors have caused such situation, and it is clear that more serious work must be done on the development of sheep breeding, since Bosnia and Herzegovina has extremely favorable conditions for raising sheep. Successful sheep production depends mostly on good reproduction, and reproduction depends primarily on the normal and proper development of sexual organs. Numerous factors influence development of sexual organs, including genetic (species and breed of domestic animals) and paragenetic, the most important of which are handling and care, nutrition, breeding season, etc. The influence of the annual breeding season on the establishment of sexual activity in domestic animals is well-known, and this is especially pronounced in sheep. The aim of this work was to determine whether the season influences development of the sexual organs of sheep. The research was conducted on uteri of sacrificed animals taken at the slaughterhouse. The following were examined and measured: 30 uteri of prepubertal sheep (15 in the autumn-winter season and 15 in the spring-summer season) and 30 ewes (15 in the autumn-winter season and 15 in the spring-summer season). The following morphometric parameters were measured: the mass of the uterus with ligaments, the mass of the preserved uterus, the mass of the ovaries, the length of uterine horns, the length and width of the uterus, the length of the fallopian tubes.The obtained results indicate that the examined season influences the dynamics of the development of sexual organs in sheep. This is especially pronounced in ewe and hoggs.

One of the main agricultural activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the production of milk, both from beef and sheep. According to the available data, the number of sheep in the world has exceeded one billion (1.08 billion), and in B&H it is slightly higher than one million (1,021,000 heads). About 8.3 million tons of sheep's milk is produced in the world. The structure and function of the mammary gland is of crucial importance for milk production. The development of the mammary gland is influenced by several factors. One of the most important is the action of hormones. A crucial role for the development of the mammary gland is played by prolactin, which simultaneously affects the initiation and maintenance of lactation. Based on the set experiments, exogenous application of prolactin, its influence on the development of the udder in prepubertal females and the histological picture of the udder in untreated and treated udders were established. Treatment with prolactin was carried out by intramuscular injections in a dose of 5 IU, three times for 60 days (every 20 days). One group (36) was treated in the period of early spring (April-May), and the other (36) in the period of early autumn (September-October). Female lambs were on average 250 days old (8.5 months) at the time of treatment. Sixty days after the treatment, the animals were sacrificed and the complete udders with ligaments were taken, which were then measured. The following measurements were taken: mass of the complete udder, mass of the udder without skin and ligaments, length of the udder, width of the udder and diagonal length. The results obtained during both seasons showed that prolactin influenced the development of the mammary gland in sheep. 

the milk of control and α-linolenic (1.90%) of milk experimental group of sheep were the most prevalent in the winter. The lowest ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids in sheep's milk was achieved in the period of feeding sheep with old grass (July), 1.46% in the milk of the experimental group of sheep that were fed with concentrates in which omega-3 preparations were added.

This study was intended to determine the effect of adding flax seeds to a concentrate for lamb fattening on the fatty acid composition of the omental fat depot in Pramenka lambs reared indoors. A total of 63 lambs (10±3 kg of live body weight, 30±7 days of age, 30 males and 33 females) were used. They were divided into two groups: a control (CON) fed on hay, ewe's milk, and a 300-g daily ration of a commercial concentrate, and an experimental group (FS) fed on hay, ewe's milk and 300 g/day of the concentrate enriched with 5% of flax seeds. After a 60-day fattening period for each group, 10 lambs (5 males and 5 females) were selected and omental fat samples were analysed for fatty acid composition. Highly significant differences (p⟨0.001) were found between CON and FS in α-linolenic acid, the sum of n-3 fatty acids, and the ratio n-6/n-3 fatty acids. The effect of sex on the fatty acid content in the fat depot was only significant for C20:0 fatty acid (p⟨0.05).

Abstract. Alongside climate change, the introduction of non-native species (NNS) is widely recognized as one of the main threats to aquatic biodiversity and human wellbeing. Non-native species and biodiversity are generally low priority issues on the political agendas of many countries, particularly in European countries outside the European Union (EU). The objectives and tasks of this study were to address the policy regulation, education level, education practices, and socioeconomic perceptions of NNS in the Balkans. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Turkey (Balkan EU candidate and potential candidate members), in Croatia and Greece (Balkan EU Member States) and Italy (non-Balkan EU Member State). The EU Alien Regulation (1143/2014) concerning NNS is implemented in EU Member States and Montenegro, whereas Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey have not reported specific policy regulations for NNS. Permanent monitoring programmes specifically designed for NNS have not yet been established in the EU Member States. Most countries tackle the issue of NNS through educational activities as part of specific projects. Education level is indicative of the implementation of NNS policy regulation, and efforts are needed for the proper development of relative study programmes. Public awareness and educational preparedness concerning NNS in the Balkans were identified as poor. Strong programmes for management and education should be developed to increase public awareness to prevent further biodiversity losses in the Balkan region.

Abstract This research is aimed at determining the impact of supplementing extensively reared lambs with a limited amount of flax seed enriched-concentrate on the fatty acid profile of the lamb meat (omental fat depot). A total of 96 60-day old Pramenka breed lambs (23.85±3.98 kg live body weight; 60±10 days of age; 42 males and 54 females) raised on pasture with their dams were randomly divided in three experimental groups: control (CON) or extensive rearing group, which did not receive any supplementary feed; concentrate (CC) group, receiving 300 g of a conventional commercial concentrate feed per animal daily, and concentrate-flax seed (CC-FS) group, receiving 300 g/day of the concentrate supplemented with 5% of flax seed. After 60 days of experimental period, 10 lambs were selected (5 males and 5 females) from each group and slaughtered. Omental fat samples were taken and analyzed to determine their fatty acid profile. Significant (P>0.05) differences in the fatty acid profile between CON and CC groups were small. However, enrichment of the concentrate with 5% flax seed increased the percentages of PUFA and n-3 PUFA when compared to both CON and CC groups and thus slightly improved the nutritional characteristics of the omental fat. The effect of sex on the fatty acid profile was only observed for C20:4 n-6 and C20:5 n-3 (P < 0.05).