PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION WITH FRESH DILUTED SEMEN DURING NATURAL ESTROUS AT EWES.

Based on the context of the development and extension of the ewe’s exploitation system and on the application of the European legislation en force regarding the conditions for reproduction and certification from genealogical registry, the main concern of the sheep breeders became the assisted breeding with rams of known origin and genetic value. Thus, the interest for artificial insemination has increased among sheep breeders who are facing a shortage of rams with known genetic value, pure breed, in the application of selection and breeding programs. By intensive use of 5 rams in the natural breeding of 195 Palas Merinos, the male exhaustion and a rate of return to estrous cycle of 53.84% were obtained. After a 5 days of stimulating feeding diet and sexual rest of the rams, the semen was collected and qualitatively analyzed. 105 ewes at the 2nd or 3rd estrous cycle were artificially inseminated. The insemination was performed during natural estrous, on the day of the detection of estrous, with diluted raw semen, with a motility of over 80%. The rate of non-returning to the estrous at 15-19 days from artificial insemination was of 84.76%. Diagnosis confirmation was made by transabdominal ultrasound at 45 - 50 days after artificial insemination and it indicated a gestation rate of 74.28%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]