Department of Animal Breeding and Nutrition

The Zootechnical Institute was established at theLithuanianVeterinaryAcademyin 1938. Subjects of animal nutrition and forage were taught in the Institute. These subjects in 1940 were assigned to the Institute of Applied Botany, Fodder and Feeding. After establishing the Faculty of Zootechnics in 1946, an independent department of Animal Feeding was established and since 2004 it has been renamed to Animal Nutrition Department. Since the establishment of the Animal Feeding Department in 1946 until 1951 the head of the department was Dr. Z. Giršavičius. The Department of Animal Feeding was headed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. V. Petkevičius in 1951-1955, by Prof. V. Kalpokas in 1955-1987, by Assoc. Prof. Dr. J. Kulpys in 1987-2010, by Prof. A. Januškevičius in 2011-2012 and by prof. P. Matusevičius in 2012-2014.

In 1946 the Department of Animal Breeding was established (until then it was called the Department of Animal Breeding and Special Zootechnics). In 1989 the department was called Animal Breeding and Genetics, in 2004 it was Animal Breeding and Genetics Department and in 2011 at theLithuanianUniversityof health Sciences separate Department of Animal Breeding was established. The first head of the Department of Animal Breeding and Special Zootechnics was Jonas Čepinskis (1893-1961), who was one of the first scientist inLithuaniaof zootechnical sciences and he headed the Department until 1960. Assoc. Prof. J. Čepinskis prepared many high qualification specialists of Animal Husbandry. The Department was headed by Prof. J. Kuosa (1925-1999) since 1960 and his developed field of research was improvement of Lithuanian Black and White cattle economic characteristics. The professor was the initiator of preservation of the gene pool of domestic cattle. While J. Čepinskis was a head of the Department, 10 PhD theses were defended. Since 1991 till 1996 the department was headed by Assoc. Prof. A. Kirvela (1950-1996). His scientific work areas were Lithuanian Black and White cattle and Lithuanian Red cattle and their breeding characteristics. Since 1996 till 2001 the Department was headed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. V. Juozaitienė. During that time Animal Breeding Research and Breeding Values Laboratory was established (in 1998) and belongs to department of Animal Breeding. Assoc. Prof. Dr. V. Juozaitienė was also initiator of starting the installation of breeding value estimation methods (BLUP).

The Department and K. Janušauskas Animal Genetics Laboratory were headed by Dr. I. Miceikienė in 2001-2011, by Prof. Dr. V. Juozaitienė in 2011-2014.

The Senate of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences decided to merge the Departments of Animal Breeding and Animal Nutrition on 1 November 2014 to get the efficient operation of studies and the application of advanced science innovation. It was called the Department of Animal Breeding and Nutrition and it is headed by Dr. V. Juozaitienė since 2014.

Today, the Department of Animal Breeding and Nutrition employs 19 people: 4 professors, 3 associate professors, 1 lecturer, 4 assistants, 2 junior researchers, 2 studies administrators and 3 laboratory assistants. The Department also has 5 PhD students

Technology of Animal Husbandry Bachelor's degree programme. Subjects taught:

Required subjects: Agrotechnics (technology of agriculture, cultivation measures systems of agricultural crops, agro-technical instruments); Forage science (features of cultivation, sorts, fertility and fodder value); Animal Nutrition (fodder quality determination according to their biochemical composition, feed analysis scheme, the concept of fodder digestibility and determination methods); Animal Breeding (science of origin and evolution of postnatal ontogenesis and phylogenies varieties of design and structure); Animal Feeding (organization of feeding, formation of rations); Innovative technologies in Animal Husbandry.

Technology of Animal Husbandry Master's degree programme. Subjects taught:

Required subjects: Research Methodology (research methodologies, empirical and theoretical methods, knowledge of methods of correlation, research principles, objectives and targets).

Optional subjects: Development of Fodder Production and Quality (the main measures and ways of production expansion, trends of development); Production Technologies of Feed and Feed Addition (technological schemes of feeds production); Dietology of Small Animals (the peculiarities of digestive system of small animals, the feeds that are used for feeding, additives); Quality Management Systems in Feed Industry (identification of risk factors during the primal and secondary production of feeds, the ways and principles of their management ensuring fabrication of safe production); Preparation technology of herby forage (the technologies of preparation of herbaceous feeds).

Animal Science Bachelor's degree programme. Subjects taught:

Required subjects: Agriculture (the whole of sciences that is related with cultivation of agricultural plants); Forage science (features of cultivation, sorts, fertility and fodder value); Animal Breeding (the science about animal origin and evolution, ontogeny and phylogenesis, breeds development and structure); Biostatistics (creation and organization of statistical surveys, taking into account the specifics of animal science); Research Methodology (creation and organization of research program taking into account the specifics of animal science).

Specialization subjects: Horse Feeding and Diseases (horse feed used to feed their classification, chemical composition and nutritional value, horse health, anatomy and physiology); Dogs Nutrition (the science of dogs physiological characteristics of digestion in the body, absorption nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract, followed by the specific nutrients digestibility level, depending on the dog's breed, age, physiological condition, weight, ambient temperature, and the structure of the diet; the ratio of nutrients in it); Animal Feeding (nutritional needs of farm animals,  diet composition specified by feeding rates, technologies of forage preparation and distribution).

Optional subjects: Invasive Species (structural, genetic and functional features of invasive species, effects on ecosystem structure, function and evolution); Natural and Traditional Gardening (Natural and traditional horticultural significance, development and challenges, vegetable nutrition and the value of nutrition); Animal Genetic Resources (Animal genetic resources monitoring, characterization, sustainable use and conservation); Equine breeding technology.

Management of Animal Resources Master's degree program. Subjects taught:

Required subjects: Research Methodology (research methodologies, empirical and theoretical methods, knowledge of methods of correlation, research principles, objectives and targets); Management of animal genetic resources and genomic selection; Specialised diet of the farmed Animals, used for human rehabilitation.

Veterinary Medicine integrated study program. Subjects taught:

Required subjects: Biomathematics and Statistics (the science about the statistical research program formation, taking into account the specifics of veterinary science); Agronomy and Feed analysis;  Animal Nutrition (the processes and regularities of agricultural animals feeding, the feeds that are used for feeding, the schemes of feeding); Animal Production and Breeding (science of origin and evolution of postnatal ontogenesis and phylogenies varieties of design and structure, animal production).

Veterinary Food Safety Bachelor's degree program. Subjects taught:

Optional subjects: Agriculture and Crop Farming (about soils, the methods of their testing, fertilization of soil, crop rotation, pests and diseases of agricultural plants, spread of weeds, safety of environment); Using Information Technologies in Biomedical Studies (familiarization with modern teaching content, the application of information technologies in biomedical studies, training content of the principles of training styles, motivation, modern methods); Nutrient and Energy Value Determination of Forages (fodder quality determination according to their biochemical composition, fodder quality control and its standards); Nutrition of Animals for Food Production (influence of different diet structure and feeds on animal health, productivity, product quality and processing technological properties,  the consequences of irregular and unbalanced feeding).

The employees of the Department of Animal Breeding and Nutrition have many years of experience in scientific-project work. Applications of new project activities are provided each year, aiming innovation in modern farms and dissemination of good practice.

The Department has three research laboratories:

Laboratory of Animal Genetic Evaluation and Selection. Population structure of country animals is investigated by modern biostatical methods, mutual relations of commercially useful features and heredity are investigated, also the interaction of heredity and environment. Breeding valuation of animal population is improved. The laboratory is involved in the development and implementation of Lithuanian Black and White cattle breeding programs by forming and improving genealogical structure of Lithuanian Black and White and Red cattle. International conferences and seminars are organized in the laboratory. According to APIIS project information system database of potgreSql of pig breeding was created also breeding value estimation methods (BLUP). In laboratory’s base 14 PhD theses were prepared and the habilitation procedure was performed.

Department of Systemic Evaluation of Nutrigenomics and Animal Husbandry Processes. Using the software Hybrimin Futter 2008 in the department of systematic assessment of nutrigenomics and animal husbandry processes combinations of calculation and optimization of feeds are performed, also is assessed the change of feeds sustenance, is modelled the dependence of obtained animal husbandry production on the quality of feeds, practical application for the management and optimization of animal husbandry processes.

Scientists of the Department collaborate with The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, Chamber of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuanian Agricultural Advisory Service, agricultural companies and farmers, companies producing combined fodder, the Terra Animalis company, CJSC Mars Lietuva, CJSC Magnum Veterinarija, Lithuanian Association of Cereal Processors, CJSC Jakovo Veterinarijos Centras, CJSC Žvėris, Kaunas University of Technology, Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, University of Varmia and Masuria, Hanover Veterinary Higher School.