Small Ruminant - Normal Female

Question 1

At what age does puberty typically occur in goats? Sheep?

Answer 1

Goats - 6 months (4-12)

Sheep - 6 months (5-12)

Question 2

What is the average length of the goat estrous cycle?

Answer 2

21 days

Question 3

What is the average length of the sheep estrous cycle?

Answer 3

17 days

Question 4

How many hours is estrus on average in the goat and sheep?

Answer 4

30 hours

Question 5

When does ovualtion typically occur during the goat estrous cyle?

Answer 5

The last third (hour 24) of estrus

Question 6

When does ovulation typically occur during estrus in the sheep?

Answer 6

24-30 hours after the start of estrus

Question 7

What type of breeders are sheep and goats?

Answer 7

Short day length

Question 8

Is there a male effect on the estrus of a goat?

Answer 8

Yes - it is strong but short lived

Question 9

Is there a male effect on the estrus of a sheep?

Answer 9

Yes - but it is not as strong as in the goat

Question 10

How long is gestation in the goat?

Answer 10

147-155 days (150 average)

Question 11

How long is gestation in the sheep?

Answer 11

145-150 days (147 average)

Question 12

What type of ovulators are small ruminants?

Answer 12

Seasonal, polyestrous, spontaneous ovulators

Question 13

How many follicular waves are there during the small ruminant estrous cycle?

Answer 13

3-4 follicular waves

Question 14

What size is the typical dominant follicle of the small ruminant? What size is ovulated?

Answer 14

Dominant - 5mm

Ovulate - 6-9mm

Question 15

How many lamb ‘crops’ per year is typical?

Answer 15

1 lamb crop a year

Question 16

What are the pros to accelerated lambing?

Answer 16

Marketability, efficiency and cost effectiveness, and distribution of labor

Question 17

What are the cons to accelerated lambing?

Answer 17

Intensive management, steady labor, and requires better feedstuffs

Question 18

What are the RFRP neurons regulated by?

Answer 18

melatonin

Question 19

What is the current hypothesis in regards to RFRP and Kisspeptin neurons and seasonality?

Answer 19

RFRP expression undergoes a conserved inhibition in short photoperiod but kisspeptin may be stimulatory or inhibitory according to the reproductive physiology of the species

Question 20

When does breeding typically occur in small ruminants naturally?

Answer 20

Fall breeding for spring newborns

Question 21

What is the normal male to female ratio in natural breeding?

Answer 21

1:30 male to female ratio

Question 22

What can change the normal male to female ratio during natural breeding?

Answer 22

synchronization and hand breeding

Question 23

What type of placentation do small ruminants have?

Answer 23

Epitheliochorial cotyledonary with cup shaped placentomes

Question 24

When does maternal recognition occur?

Answer 24

Day 12 of gestation - interferon tau

Question 25

When does fetal attachment occur?

Answer 25

18 days

Question 26

What is the pregnancy maintained by in the sheep?

Answer 26

Progesterone (CL) until day 75

Question 27

What takes over for maintenance of pregnancy in the sheep at day 75?

Answer 27

The feto-placental unit

Question 28

What is in charge of pregnancy maintenance in the goat? Unitl when?

Answer 28

Progesterone (CL) for the entire pregnancy

Question 29

What initiates parturition in the small ruminant?

Answer 29

fetal adrenal cortex - stress

Question 30

What is stage 1 of parturition and how long does it last?

Answer 30

Prepping - 1-4 hours

Question 31

What is stage 2 of parurition and how long does it last?

Answer 31

Expulsion of the fetus(s) - <2 hours

Question 32

What is stage 3 or parturition and how long does it last?

Answer 32

Fetal membrane expulsion - <8 hours

Question 33

How is pregnancy diagnosed in the small ruminant?

Answer 33

Non-return to estrus, ultrasound, and hormone assay

Question 34

Aside from pregnancy, what else can cause non-return to estrus?

Answer 34

Pathology, seasonality issues, and false estrus or anestrus

Question 35

True or False: Transrectal ultrasound is the gold standard for diagnosing pregnancy in small ruminants.

Answer 35

False - you should not do transrectal ultrasound - trans-abdominal ultrasound however is acceptable

Question 36

How early is trans-abdominal ultrasound reliable to detect pregnancy?

Answer 36

As early as 30 days

Question 37

What can you assess when doing a trans-abdominal ultrasound on a pregnant small ruminant?

Answer 37

Placenta confirmation, fetal numbers, fetal viability, and any abnormalities

Question 38

What hormone assays can be done to diagnose pregnancy in a small ruminant?

Answer 38

Estrone sulphate, progesterone, and PSPB or PAGs

Question 39

How early can estrone sulphate detect pregnancy? What does it use? How accurate is it?

Answer 39

It can detect pregnancy in a small ruminant that is 50 days or further from a milk or urine sample. It is 100% accurate

Question 40

How early can a progesterone assay detect a pregnancy? Using what sample? How accurate?

Answer 40

It can detect a pregnancy as early as 17 days using milk or serum. There are many reported false positives

Question 41

How early can a PSPB or PAGs detect pregnancy in sheep with serum? Milk?

Answer 41

Serum - 35 days or greater | Milk - 60 days or greater

Question 42

How early can a PSPB or PAGs detect pregnancy in goats with serum? Milk?

Answer 42

Serum and Milk - 28 days or greater

Question 43

What occurs during stage 1 of parturition?

Answer 43

They stop eating, udder/teats distend, and relax | The cervix dilates

Question 44

What occurs during stage 2 of parturition?

Answer 44

Strong contractions, breaking of CA and aminion

Question 45

What is the typical PPP of small ruminants during parturition?

Answer 45

Cranial longitudinal, dorsal sacral, and forelimbs and head in full extension

Question 46

When is induction used in ewes?

Answer 46

As a management tool or in cases of pregnancy toxemia

Question 47

When is the preferred time for induction in a ewe?

Answer 47

greater than 142 days

Question 48

What would you use to induce a ewe after day 137?

Answer 48

Dexamethasone

Question 49

How quickly do ewes respond to induction injection?

Answer 49

within 36-48 hours post injection

Question 50

What can be given with dexamethasone to hasten the parturition period in induced ewes?

Answer 50

PGF

Question 51

When is the best time to induce a doe?

Answer 51

At least 144 days

Question 52

What can be used to induce parturition in a doe?

Answer 52

PGF

Question 53

When is dexamethasone indicated to be used with PGF in doe induction?

Answer 53

in cases of pregnancy toxemia

Question 54

How quickly do does respond to PGF induction?

Answer 54

24-36 hours post administration