1. Effects of short-term intravaginal progestagen treatment on fertility and prolificacy after natural breeding in sheep at different reproductive seasons
- Author
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Paula Martinez-Ros, Antonio Gonzalez-Bulnes, Empar Garcia-Rosello, Alejandro Rios-Abellan, and Susana Astiz
- Subjects
estrus synchronization ,fertility ,progestagens ,prolificacy ,sheep ,Veterinary medicine ,SF600-1100 - Abstract
The present study indicates that short-term progestagen-based protocols for synchronization of estrus and ovulation in sheep involving 7 days of progestagen insertion with administration of prostaglandin F2α at either insertion or removal of the progestagen sponge resulted in 80–90% fertility during the breeding season, while a classical long-term protocol of 14 days of progestagen insertion resulted in 77% fertility. During the non-breeding season, fertility was significantly higher for the 7-day protocol with prostaglandin administration at sponge insertion (79.2%) and for the 14-day protocol (80%) than for the 7-day protocol with prostaglandin administration at sponge removal (59.1%; P = 0.018). Prolificacy, in contrast, varied significantly with genotype, being higher in prolific breeds, but it did not vary with progestagen protocol or breeding season. These results suggest that short-term progestagen-based treatments can provide similar reproductive efficiency as long-term treatments, which may help practitioners reduce welfare and health issues while maintaining productivity.
- Published
- 2019
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