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Priskas S, Valergakis G, Tsakmakidis I, Vouraki S, Papanikolopoulou V, Theodoridis A, Arsenos G. The Role of Housing Conditions on the Success of Artificial Insemination in Intensively Reared Dairy Ewes in Greece. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12192693. [PMID: 36230434 PMCID: PMC9559479 DOI: 10.3390/ani12192693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective was to assess the effect of housing conditions during the summer months on the success rates of cervical artificial insemination (AI) with cooled semen, in intensively reared dairy ewes in Greece. The study involved 2083 Lacaune ewes from 23 flocks that were serviced during May to September. An estrous synchronization protocol with the insertion of progestogen sponges for 14 days and eCG administration at sponge removal, was used. All ewes were inseminated 54−57 h after sponge removal with cooled semen (15 °C) from 10 Lacaune rams. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed via trans-dermal ultrasonography at 35−40 days after AI. Data recording started the day after sponge placement (15 days prior to AI), and lasted up to 14 days after AI. Daily records included temperature, relative humidity, and Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) inside the shed. Available space and volume per animal, frequency of bedding renewal, access to a yard, and indoor light were also recorded in each farm. Binary logistic regression of data records showed that temperature and THI increases at days −15 to +4 around AI (day 0) had a negative effect on pregnancy rates (reducing the likelihood of pregnancy by 3−6% and 7%, respectively). The latter also decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in farms with high stocking density, non-frequent bedding renewal, and outdoor access by ewes (by 30%, 34%, and 44%, respectively). Overall, the results indicate that appropriate housing conditions are warranted to increase the success of AI in dairy ewes during the summer months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stergios Priskas
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +30-2310999977
| | - Georgios Valergakis
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ioannis Tsakmakidis
- Clinic of Farm Animals, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Sotiria Vouraki
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Vasiliki Papanikolopoulou
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Alexandros Theodoridis
- Laboratory of Animal Production Economics, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Georgios Arsenos
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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Đuričić D, Benić M, Žaja IŽ, Valpotić H, Samardžija M. Influence of season, rainfall and air temperature on the reproductive efficiency in Romanov sheep in Croatia. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2019; 63:817-824. [PMID: 30790044 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-019-01696-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of season, rainfall and air temperature on the reproductive efficiency in the Romanov breed of sheep in continental part of Croatia during five consecutive years (2012-2016). During this period, 5379 matings resulted in 5046 successful conceptions, i.e. lambings at eight medium-scale Romanov breed sheep farms. The conception rate was 93.81%, fecundity was 195% and average preweaning mortality until 90 days of age was 12.41%. The seasonal distribution of lambings was 47.64% for ewes that delivered in winter (n = 2422), 23.37% in spring (n = 1179), 18.82% in summer (n = 950) and 9.81% in autumn (n = 495). Sexual activity was lowest during spring and early summer when air temperatures were above average (very and extremely warm), and sexual activity peaked from August to September, especially during extremely wet and very wet seasons. Litter size was greater during winter than in other seasons (1.70 vs. 1.54) and was significantly different as compared to each of selected years of the study period. There was a statistically significant difference in the number of pregnant ewes between mating seasons. Most female Romanov lambs born during winter and early spring mated in late summer or autumn and delivered at the age of 1 year or earlier. The seasonal distribution of matings and lambing was not uniform throughout the seasons over five consecutive years. Thus, it can be assumed that air temperature and rainfall during different seasons could affect the reproductive efficiency in Romanov breed of sheep in continental part of Croatia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ivona Žura Žaja
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Hrvoje Valpotić
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marko Samardžija
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
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Alvarado-Espino AS, Menchaca A, Meza-Herrera CA, Carrillo-Moreno DI, Zúñiga-García S, Arellano-Rodríguez F, Mellado M, Véliz FG. Ovarian response is not affected by the stage of seasonal anestrus or breed of goats when using a progesterone injection plus human chorionic gonadotropin-based protocol. Anim Reprod Sci 2019; 204:60-65. [PMID: 30862404 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2019.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the stage of seasonal anestrus and breed on ovarian response in non-estrous cycling goats using a progesterone (P4) injection plus human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-based protocol. In Experiment 1, non-estrous cycling local Mexican goats were treated with 20 mg of P4 plus 100 IU of hCG injections 24 h apart during April (early anestrus, n = 13) or June (late anestrus, n = 12). The estrous response, interval from hCG-to-estrus, and interval to ovulation were not affected by season (P > 0.05). In addition, the size of the follicle from which ovulation occurred and the size of the corpus luteum were not different between the two stages of seasonal anestrus (P > 0.05). In Experiment 2, the estrous response was compared between multiparous non-estrous cycling local Mexican (n = 18) and Alpine (n = 19) goats in which stage of the estrous cycle was synchronized using the same P4+hCG protocol as in Experiment 1. Neither the onset of estrus nor the time of ovulation differed between breeds, and the estrus-to-ovulation interval also was similar for both breeds (P > 0.05). The diameter of the dominant follicle at the time of ovulation was similar between local and Alpine goats (P > 0.05). In addition, the pregnancy rate was not different for both local and Alpine goats (P > 0.05). In conclusion, results of this study indicate that the stage of seasonal anestrus or breed do not modify estrous and ovarian response in non-estrous cyclic goats synchronized with a P4 injection plus hCG-based protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan S Alvarado-Espino
- Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Periférico Raúl López Sánchez y Carretera a Santa Fe, 27054, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
| | - Alejo Menchaca
- Instituto de Reproducción Animal Uruguay, Fundación IRAUy, Cno. Cruz del Sur 2250, 12200, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Cesar A Meza-Herrera
- Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Unidad Regional Universitaria de Zonas Áridas, Bermejillo, Durango, 35230, Mexico
| | - Dalia I Carrillo-Moreno
- Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Periférico Raúl López Sánchez y Carretera a Santa Fe, 27054, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
| | - Santiago Zúñiga-García
- Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Periférico Raúl López Sánchez y Carretera a Santa Fe, 27054, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
| | - Fernando Arellano-Rodríguez
- Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Periférico Raúl López Sánchez y Carretera a Santa Fe, 27054, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
| | - Miguel Mellado
- Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Departamento de Nutrición Animal, Calz. Antonio Narro 1923, 25084, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico
| | - Francisco G Véliz
- Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Periférico Raúl López Sánchez y Carretera a Santa Fe, 27054, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico.
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Đuričić D, Benić M, Žura Žaja I, Valpotić H, Samardžija M. The effects of monthly air temperature and rainfall variations on the reproductive performance and lambing distribution of the Jezersko-Solčava sheep. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2019; 63:153-158. [PMID: 30421116 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-018-1646-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of monthly air temperature and rainfall variations on the reproductive performance and lambing distribution of the Jezersko-Solčava breed in northwestern Croatia during 7 years period from 2010 until 2016. At 11 medium-scale sheep farms, the sheep were kept on a pasture in a semi-intensive environment with access to the stables. The anomalies of rainfall observed on a monthly basis during monitoring were statistically significant. Non-parametric test showed that the percentages of lambing differ among the months during the year (P = 0.0001). By using regression analysis, it was found that the percentages of pregnant sheep were linearly associated with the sequential number of the month. The seasonal distribution of lambings were 53.85% of ewes delivered in winter (n = 1296), 21.13% in spring (n = 509), 8.91% in summer (n = 215) and 16.11% in autumn (n = 387). Sexual activity was lowest during spring and early summer (from March to May) with a peak from the end of July to October. The conception rate during year 2011 was significantly lower (89.74%), and the litter size was the lowest (1.05) than in other years of the observation. Average conception rate was 92.85% and average litter size 1.21. Despite being a seasonally polyoestrous, the distribution of matings and lambings of this breed of sheep was not uniform throughout the seasons. There were established a positive or negative correlations between the air temperature and rainfall precipitation variations with tested reproductive performances of Jezersko-Solčava breed sheep in the Northwestern part of Croatia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ivona Žura Žaja
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Hrvoje Valpotić
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marko Samardžija
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
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Abecia JA, Arrébola F, Macías A, Laviña A, González-Casquet O, Benítez F, Palacios C. Temperature and rainfall are related to fertility rate after spring artificial insemination in small ruminants. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2016; 60:1603-1609. [PMID: 26951115 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-016-1150-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Revised: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
A total number of 1092 artificial inseminations (AIs) performed from March to May were documented over four consecutive years on 10 Payoya goat farms (36° N) and 19,392 AIs on 102 Rasa Aragonesa sheep farms (41° N) over 10 years. Mean, maximum, and minimum ambient temperatures, mean relative humidity, mean solar radiation, and total rainfall on each insemination day were recorded. Overall, fertility rates were 58 % in goats and 45 % in sheep. The fertility rates of the highest and lowest deciles of each of the meteorological variables indicated that temperature and rainfall had a significant effect on fertility in goats. Specifically, inseminations that were performed when mean (68 %), maximum (68 %), and minimum (66 %) temperatures were in the highest decile, and rainfall was in the lowest decile (59 %), had a significantly (P < 0.0001) higher proportion of does that became pregnant than did the ewes in the lowest decile (56, 54, 58, and 49 %, respectively). In sheep, the fertility rates of the highest decile of mean (62 %), maximum (62 %), and minimum (52 %) temperature, RH (52 %), THI (53 %), and rainfall (45 %) were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than were the fertility rates among ewes in the lowest decile (46, 45, 45, 45, 46, and 43 %, respectively). In conclusion, weather was related to fertility in small ruminants after AI in spring. It remains to be determined whether scheduling the dates of insemination based on forecasted temperatures can improve the success of AI in goats and sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Abecia
- IUCA. Departmento Producción Animal y Ciencia de los Alimentos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Miguel Servet, 177, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - F Arrébola
- IFAPA, Ctra El Viso, km 15. 14270 Hinojosa del Duque, Córdoba, Spain
| | - A Macías
- Asociación Nacional de Ganaderos de la Raza Rasa Aragonesa (ANGRA), Cabañera Real, s/n, 50800 Zuera, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - A Laviña
- Asociación Nacional de Ganaderos de la Raza Rasa Aragonesa (ANGRA), Cabañera Real, s/n, 50800 Zuera, Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | - F Benítez
- IFAPA, Ctra El Viso, km 15. 14270 Hinojosa del Duque, Córdoba, Spain
| | - C Palacios
- Departmento Construcción y Agronomía, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Ambientales, Filiberto Villalobos, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
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