Control of the time of ovulation in sheep

Abstract

Synchronization of ovulation in ewes during the breeding season was achieved by a 14 day course of progesterone injections followed by injections of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMS) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). Optimal control was attained when the PMS was given at the time of the last progesterone injection and the HCG 24 hr later. With this treatment most ovulations occurred between 20 and 28 hr after the HCG injection. However, none of the ewes exhibited oestrus at this time. Greater variability in the time of ovulation was found when the progesterone-PMS and PMS-HCG intervals were 0 hr and 48 hr, or 24 hr and 24 hr, and with these treatments about 80 per cent. of the ewes exhibited oestrus just before ovulation. On the 0-48 hr treatment schedule with artificial insemination 3-7½ hr after the HCG injection, 13 of 22 ewes had fertilized eggs or embryos when killed 3 or 35 days later.