See summary of dissertation in English - Baltijos regiono istorijos ir ...

In the 16 th century, the manors of East-Central Europe began the
process of improvement of livestock breeds and started raising the
cattle of Dutch breed. At that time, breed purity was not yet pursued in
Samogitia, but there were certain attempts to improve the breed. A
cow of Dutch breed was recorded in one of the manors, which could
belong to large land-ownership, slightly earlier than the time established
in historiography to this day. The calculation of the average
number of cattle per manor revealed that the average number of cattle
equaled to 17 cows per manor. Compared to other western areas of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the differences in the number were
rather trivial.
Sheep breeding prevailed among the breeding of small livestock,
which included sheep, goats and pigs. The popularity of this branch of
farming was determined by circumstances: the arable lands abandoned
at the times of war and covered with grass were excellent pastures for
sheep. Little efforts and a comparatively low number of personnel
sufficed for their maintenance. The popularity of sheep breeding was
also determined by the demand for wool. Besides, not only meat and
wool but also sheep milk was the product of consumption at that time.
Sheep were kept at 32 farms of Samogitian manors, which accounted
for 78% of all the farms, which included records on livestock. The total
number of sheep accounted for as much as 27% of all the livestock kept
at the manors. The average number of this type of livestock per manor,
which equaled to 12.8 units, and a rather even distribution of sheep kept
at the manors (which most likely complied with their economic capacities)
testify the important role of sheep at the farm.
Sheep breeding was followed by pig breeding, which was the second
most important type of small livestock kept at the farm. Pigs are
mentioned in the inventories of 34 manors, which make up 83% of all
the manors including references to livestock. They accounted for 25%
of the total number of livestock in the structure of Samogitian livestock
farming. The average number of pigs per one economic object
accounted for 10.8 units. Goats were least popular at the manor– they
made up only 5% of all the livestock.
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