Sheep fertility

Question 1

What is fecundity?

Answer 1

number of lambs per pregnancy

Question 2

What is the lambing percentage?

Answer 2

number of lambs reared/sold/weaned per 100 ewes put to ram

Question 3

Four reasons for poor lambing percentage

Answer 3

Low ovulation rate, poor conception rate, early embryonic death/foetal loss, high abortion/still birth

Question 4

Four factors that affect ovulation rate

Answer 4

Season, Age, Breed, BCS

Question 5

6 reasons for poor conception rate

Answer 5

season, 
repro tract abnormalities,
fertilisation failure,
phyto-estrogens,
stress,
male infertility,

Question 6

Treatment for pseudopregnancy in doe goats?

Answer 6

PGF2a and oxytocin

Question 7

5 reasons for early embryonic death

Answer 7

asynchrony between development of fetus and P4 rise,
Dietary intake (overfeeding in early pregnancy)
Age
Mineral def: selenium & iodine,
Infectious: border disease & toxoplasma

Question 8

Late foetal death 2 causes

Answer 8

overfeeding early pregnancy (decreased placental development)
Underfeeding in late pregnancy

Question 9

3 common causes of late death/abortion

Answer 9

Chlamydophila, toxoplasma, campylobacter