Close contact with spontaneously cycling Saint Croix ewes triggers cyclic activity in seasonally anestrous Suffolk ewes
Agustín Orihuela A C , Neftalí Clemente A and Rodolfo Ungerfeld B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, CP62240, México.
B Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República, Lasplaces 1620, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay.
C Corresponding author. Email: aorihuela@uaem.mx
Animal Production Science 56(11) 1816-1819 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN141005
Submitted: 17 December 2014 Accepted: 11 June 2015 Published: 21 July 2015
Abstract
In domestic goats, oestrous activity may be induced by close contact with cyclic females. As tropical breeds of sheep show light seasonality or are even unaffected by season, the purpose of this study was to examine the hypothesis that cyclic activity may be induced in anestrous Suffolk ewes by close contact with spontaneously cycling Saint Croix ewes. The experiment was conducted with 17 anestrous Suffolk ewes that were assigned to one of two groups. Although Suffolk ewes in the Control group (n = 9) remained isolated, those of the treated group (n = 8) were joined (Day 0) and maintained in close contact with 20 Saint Croix ewes for 38 days. Serum progesterone concentration was measured in all ewes in blood samples collected on Days –8, –2, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28, 33 and 38. Before Day 0, 17/20 Saint Croix ewes were cycling, but no Suffolk ewe had luteal levels of progesterone. By Day 13, more treated than Control Suffolk ewes had progesterone luteal concentrations (8/8 vs 1/9; P = 0.0004). It was concluded that spontaneously cycling Saint Croix ewes induce cyclic activity in anestrous Suffolk ewes.
Additional keywords: animal breeding, animal production, animal reproduction, ewes, sheep breeding programs.
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