Artificial Insemination
Placing semen from the male into the female is called artificial insemination, or AI. Usually, for the females to bred by AI, the estrous cycle is synchronized so they will all show heat at a similar time. This reduces the time and labor for heat checking. Some estrus synchronization programs are designed so the females can all be inseminated (bred) at a fixed time without having to check heat. For more information on hormone programs that have been …
Differences exist in the onset and length of the breeding season among the various breeds of goats and even between individual animals within a breed. Geographic location, particularly degree of latitude, has a significant impact on timing and length of the breeding season. At locations close to the equator, tropical breeds of goats often breed throughout the year. However, factors such as rainfall, nutrition and lactational status can also affect breeding season. Other stressors …
The environmental cue most dominantly affecting seasonal breeding in small ruminants is the annual change in day length (goats are considered short day breeders). Seasonal anestrous occurs when the day length increases and this period is associated with an absence of estrus and ovulation and decreased secretion of the reproductive hormones. Seasonal species are responsive to a hormone called melatonin which is produced by the pineal gland in response to declining periods …
Reproductive failure can be defined as either sterility or infertility. Sterility occurs when there is a permanent problem preventing kid production, while infertility, or temporary sterility, is the inability to produce live young within a specific time period. There are a number of factors that can cause reproductive failure including physiological, toxicological and psychological factors. Please see the links below for specific information on these causes.
In addition, …
The average length of pregnancy in goats is 150 days, or five months. During early pregnancy, embryonic losses are usually 20 to 30 percent higher than in later pregnancy. There are a number of external factors that can cause pregnancy losses, including environmental stress caused by heat, nutrition, or even doe age. During early pregnancy, the kid is just an embryo and it is also extremely sensitive to a wide range of drugs and mineral deficiencies.
During pregnancy …
The Role of Body Condition Scores on Reproduction
Body condition score, or BCS, refers to the amount of fat covering the body. BCS is also a good indicator of the nutritional status and the general health of the animal. External fat can be measured by palpating the spine, ribs and hip bone area. Meat goats are then assigned a numeric value between 1 (thin) and 9(obese) to determine fat density over the animal. Note, there are two different …
The expanded popularity of meat goat production has led to increased interest in reliable methods to synchronize or induce estrus in goats. With this technology, producers are able to more efficiently use complementary techniques for reproductive management, including artificial insemination and embryo transfer, so that genetic material is more easily obtained or transferred domestically and internationally. Issues involving estrus synchronization protocols include the fact that new product development and inclusion of goats and …
Lactation is a period of milk production. The organ that produces the milk is the mammary gland. In her udder, a doe typically has 2 glands (one in each half of the udder) and 1 teat per gland (one empties each half of the udder) and 1 streak canal, or opening, per teat. Boer and Savanna goats may have more than one teat per gland, but care should be taken to make sure that number and teat form do …
Exposure to males after a period of isolation — at least three weeks and one mile away — can be used for induction and synchronization of estrus during the breeding and non-breeding season without additional treatments in goats. The physiological basis for this response is due in part to smell and sight, with neither stimulus completely accounting for the response. It is not effective if the males and females are together …
Progestagens are reproductive hormones like ones that are used in birth control for women. Progestagens are a form of the natural progesterone produced in the body. Various forms of progestagens with different routes of administration have been used for estrus (heat) synchronization. It can be used to extend the lifespan of the corpus luteum during the breeding season when goats are already cycling and it is required for getting goats to show estrus and breed in the non-breeding …
