Effect of Using Melatonin Implants on Postpartum Reproductive Indices in Tigaia Sheep Breed

Abstract

Investigations were carried out in a commercial farm from Turnu, Arad County, on a number of 110 indigenous adult ewes from the Tigaia breed. It is estimated by some authors that administration of subcutaneous melatonin implants during a period of 30 days, in lactating or dry ewes, would improve the reproductive performances in some sheep breeds. Subcutaneous melatonin implants (Melovin) were inserted to the ewes in doses of 18 mg. Current research, emphasized treated that from indigenous Tigaia breed, can be obtained superior reproduction indexes if the animals are treated with melatonin implants with 35 days before the mating season, differences from the untreated group being significantly (p<0.001). However, in sheep treated used melatonin implants, the lambing interval were reduced with 40 to 50%. It seems that use of melatonin implants Melovin type near the beginning of normal breeding season, increases the reproductive performance of adult ewes from the Tigaia breed.

Keywords

• ewes
• melatonin
• sheep reproduction
• tigaie breed