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Post-partum anestrus is a problem on farms, and its duration depends on the frequency and intensity of suckling which affects reproduction and production efficiency to become a determining economic factor. The aim of this study was to determine the post-partum reproductive response in ewe to a "male effect" with an ovulation induction protocol of five days using progesterone and the application of a metabolic restorative (MR; Metabolase ®). One hundred and twenty females were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: T1: Continuous suckling (CS; n = 29), T2: CS + MR (n = 29), T3: CS + Male Effect (ME; n = 32), and T4: CS + MR + ME. The percentage of females in ovulation, weight changes among females and lambs, the onset of estrus, calving, fecundity, and prolificacy were also determined. The ovulation percentage was higher in CS + ME and CS + MR + ME (75.0 and 73.3%) than in the other treatments. Weight changes in females and lambs were different among periods. The onset of estrus was similar for CS and CS + MR (25.9 ± 1.9 and 25.7 ± 0.7 h, respectively). The calving percentage was higher for CS + MR (86.2%) than other treatments. Male presence positively affected the postpartum cyclic ovarian re-establishment and the metabolic restorative could even improve the fertility of hair ewes in continuous suckling with similar hormone protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two sources of commercial porcine pituitary-derived follicle-stimulating hormone ( pFSH) and pFSH-porcine Luteinizing Hormone ( pLH), including equine chorionic gonadotropin ( eCG), in ovulatory and embryonic response in Pelibuey sheep. Twenty-four Pelibuey sheep were used and were assigned randomly to four treatments ( n = 6): (T1; 200 mg pFSH-Folltropin®); (T2; 200 mg pFSH + 300 UI eCG-Folligon®); (T3; 250 UI pFSH/ pLH-Pluset®) and (T4; 250 UI pFSH/ pLH + 300 UI eCG). The interval of hours from withdrawal of the device to the beginning of oestrus ( BO) was lower ( p < .05) in sheep treated with eCG (T2 = 8.0 ± 1.4 and T4 = 10.0 ± 2.8) than in those without eCG (T1 = 12.6 ± 0.6 and T3 = 20.6 ± 2.4). The ovulatory rate ( OR) was higher ( p < .05) in T1 = 15.5 ± 2.8 and T2 = 15.6 ± 1.4, compared to T3 = 8.1 ± 3.2 and T4 = 11.8 ± 2.8; a significant difference was not shown between them (T1 vs. T2 and T3 vs. T4) when including eCG. The number of non-fertilized oocytes ( NFO) was lower ( p ˂ .05) in T1 = 0.8 ± 0.4 and T3 = 1.8 ± 1.8, compared to those that included eCG (T2 = 6.3 ± 2.4 and T4 = 2.1 ± 1.2). The number of transferable embryos ( TE) was higher ( p < .05) when FSH was applied (T1 = 5.8 ± 1.1), compared with (T2 = 2.6 ± 1.1, T3 = 2.3 ± 1.4 and T4 = 2.8 ± 1.5). The commercial treatments ( pFSH or pFSH- pLH) in combination with eCG did not improve OR, NFO and TE. However, the exclusive pFSH (Folltropin) treatment presented a higher OR, lower number of NFO and higher number of TE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]