Evaluation of Pregnancy Rate and Length of Pregnancy after Intracervical Insemination in Zwartbles Sheep

Abstract

Article Details: Received: 2020-10-06 | Accepted: 2020-11-27 | Available online: 2021-01-31

https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2021.24.mi-prap.122-126

The artificial insemination and the oestrus cycle synchronization are some of the most frequently used biotechnical methods of reproduction not only for sheep, but also for the other spieces of livestock. They are used mainly to achieve the shortening of the lambing period and to achieve easier breeding. An exact estimation of the lambing period is essential for the breeding process optimization, as it allows better preparation for the lambing period. This experiment monitors 48 Zwartbles sheep. Before the artificial insemination itself, the oestrus cycle of the sheep was synchronized using intravaginal sponges Ovigest and the subsequent intracervical insemination was performed using fresh, diluted and chilled semen extracted from rams of the Zbyšek and Zachari lineages. The pregnancy rates after insemination and after the subsequent breeding of the barren ewes in a harem were determined according to the pregnancy detection and the subsequent lambing times. Marking the exact date and time of insemination and lambing allowed to determine the overall pregnancy lengths in the inseminated animals. The overall pregnancy rate after insemination was 41.7% and the overall pregnancy rate after the subsequent breeding in a harem was 93.8%. The overall pregnancy period in animals after insemination varied between 141.6 and 147.8 days and the peak of lambing took place between 144.1 and 146.8 days.

Keywords: insemination, pregnancy, reproduction, synchronization, oestrus

References

Čunát, L. et al. (2013). Využití inseminace ovcí v chovatelské praxi. Praha: Česká zemědělská univerzita.

Gajdošík, M. & Polách, A. (1984). Chov oviec. Bratislava: Príroda.

Gootwine, W. (2016). Sheep: Reproductive Management. Husbandry of Dairy Animals, 1(1), 887–892. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100596-5.21239-0

Horák, F. et al. (2012). Chováme ovce. Praha: Brázda.

Ingoldby, L. & Jackson, P. (2001). Induction od parturition in sheep. In Practice, 23(4), 228–231. http://doi.org/10.1136/inpract.23.4.228

Iyiola-Tunji, T. et al. (2010). Relationship Between Gestation Length and Birth Weight in Nigerian Sheep and Their Crosses. Animal Production, 12(3), 135–138. http://doi.org/10.20884/1.anprod.2010.12.3.282

Kadlečík, O. & Kasarda, R. (2006). Všeobecná zootechnika, Nitra: Slovenská poľnohospodárska univerzita v Nitre.

Kuchtík, J. et al. (2007). Chov ovcí. Brno: Mendelova univerzita v Brně.

Louda, F. et al. (2001). Inseminace hospodářských zvířat. Praha: Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze.

Louda, F. & Ježková, A. (2002). Biotechnické metody v reprodukci ovcí a koz. Náš chov. Retrieved August 17, 2020 from https://naschov.cz/biotechnicke-metody-v-reprodukci-ovci-a-koz/.

Louda, F. & Hegedüšová, Z. (2009). Inseminace ovcí – intenzifikační faktor šlechtitelské práce. Certifikovaná metodika. Rapotín: Agrovýzkum Rapotín.

Malá, G. et al. (2011). Chov dojných ovcí. Zásady správné chovatelské praxe, Praha: Výzkumný ústav živočišné výroby.

Mavrogenis, A. P. (1992). Breed group and parity effects on gestation duration and litter size at birth of sheep. Technical Bulletin Cyprus Agricurtural Research Institut, 42(1992), 3–6.

Ntemka, A. et al. (2018). Current status and advances in ram semen cryopreservation. Journal of the Hellenic Veterinary Medical Society, 69(2), 911–924. https://doi.org/10.12681/jhvms.18014

Rečková, Z. & Filipčík, R. (2020). An analysis of Selected Aspects of Sperm Quality in Fresh and Cooled-Storage Stallion Semen. Iranian Journal of Applied Animal Science, 10(3), 405–408. Retrieved October 23, 2020 from http://ijas.iaurasht.ac.ir/article_675315_c1a9e1ab03a577c5ca5580877afaaa06.pdf

Říha, J. (1999). Biotechnologie v chovu a šlechtění hospodářských zvířat. Rapotín: Asociace chovatelů masných plemen.

Sándor, K. et al. (2011). Artificial Insemination of Sheep - Possibilities, Realities and Technique
at the Farm Level In Artificial Insemination in Farm Animals, Iran: IntechOpen, pp. 27–50.

Salamon. S. & Maxwell, W. M. C. (2000). Storage of ram semen. Animal Reproduction Science, 62(1–3), 77–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4320(00)00155-X

Tzanidakis, N. et al. (2014). Dairy sheep breeding. LowInputBreeds technical note, 1(1), 1–6.

Vallejo, D. A. et al. (2019). Pregnancy rates in hair sheep after Ovsynch synchronization and a combined intracervical fixed-time artificial insemination and 10-day mating period. Veterinary World, 12(11), 1779–1783. www.doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2019.1779-1783

Vaněk, D. & Štolc, L. (2002). Chov skotu a ovcí: (přednášky pro Bc). Praha: Česká zemědělská univerzita.