Influence of feeding flushing and progestative treatment duration on reproductive performances in mutton sheep

Abstract

Long progestative treatments (from 9 to 12 days) have been widely used for estrus induction and synchronization in past. However, these treatments worsen fertility in comparison with naturally induced estrus because they determine an hormonal disruption which affects the synchronicity between estrus and ovulation and hampers sperm transport inside the female reproductive tract (Pearce and Robinson, 1985; Scaramuzzi et al., 1988). Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotrophin (PMSG) is administered, at different times, in order to improve the reproductive performances; however, it determines a high individual variability in the ovarian response (Martemucci et al., 1988)...

Keywords

• ewe, progestative treatment, feeding flushing, reproductive performances