Small Ruminants

Question 1

where does the sperm mature?

Answer 1

in the epididymis

Question 2

what is unique about the ram penis?

Answer 2

it has the vermiform appendage. the ram can live without it and it doesn’t affect fertility, but the idea is to spray the semen on to the cervix

Question 3

how long does it take for sperm to mature and be produced

Answer 3

47 days (6-8 weeks)

Question 4

healthy mature rams and bucks make how much sperm a day

Answer 4

10 billion sperm a day (wowee)

Question 5

how does season affect ram and buck semen production

Answer 5

during the off season (feb to july) the testes are softer and dont produce as much sperm

Question 6

how is the cervix of the sheep different than other mammals?

Answer 6

it has sort of salloon doors staggered like a zipper, making it VERY hard to get through the cervix or do cervical AI! During mating the penis does not go through the cervix

Question 7

how many cervical rings do goats have

Answer 7

3

Question 8

sheep and goats are seasonally polyestrus. what does this mean?

Answer 8

they will cycle repeatedly until they either get preg or the season ends

Question 9

in what season do female sheep cycle?

Answer 9

sheep are short day breeders (opposite of horses), so they cycle from about august to january in the northern hemisphere. This depends on the breed of sheep tho, some sheep have very short cycles, some have longer cycles.

Question 10

true or false: sheep near the equator will cycle all year round

Answer 10

true because they rely on changes in daylight and if there is none, nothing will change!

Question 11

what happens during the transition period?

Answer 11

cycles are irregular and fertility is decreased

Question 12

how long is gestation in sheep/goats?

Answer 12

approx 5 months(150 days)

Question 13

how long is the estrous cycle in sheep and goats?

Answer 13

sheep: 17 days
goats: 21 days more like cows

Question 14

true or false: ewe lambs and doelings have shorter cycle lengths

Answer 14

true, theyre like heifers and tend to take less days to cycle

Question 15

how long is estrus in sheep and goats? differences between them?

Answer 15

30 hours (2-3 days)–>stand to be mounted by the male

sheep are quiet when theyre horny unless you have a teazer ram, but goats are much easier to tell, theyre let you know

Question 16

during diestrus, what are the ovaries doing?

Answer 16

forming new follicles to be ready to ovulate next estrus if there’s no conception

corpus luteum forms at each ovulation site

Question 17

the CL in sheep and goats is unique. how so?

Answer 17

stress can destroy the CL and cause early embyronic loss. this can be caused by poor nutrition, excessive handling, illness, etc

Question 18

how is the GOAT CL unique?

Answer 18

goats require a CL for full term of pregnancy and abortion will occur if the CL regresses at ANY point during pregnancy. in sheep the fetus contributes a little more progesterone production but in goats it’s all the CL!

Question 19

high progesterone in diestrus leads to what behavior?

Answer 19

rejection of the male

Question 20

high esotrgen during estrus leads to what behavior? be specific

Answer 20

acceptance of the ram–>actively seek them out, tail flagging, standing to be mounted

Question 21

describe the breeding behavior of the ram when it’s time to breed

what is one thing unique to goats?

Answer 21

sniffing the vulva, flehmen response, test for estrus by kicking the female, extends the head and neck.

goats: urination on beard and front legs which the females like apparently

Question 22

when preparing males for the breeding season, what kinds of things are you doing? and how soon before breeding season are you doing these things?

Answer 22

6-8 weeks before:
- reduce stress which can damage semen such as frostbite, fever, bad nutrition (takes 47 days to make new sperm)
- look at body condition, you want 3.5 at breeding. fat males have poor libido and bad semen quality (fat deposits in scrotum and messes with thermoregulation)

Question 23

ram to ewe (or buck to doe) ratio depends on what things?

Answer 23

age of the male: mature rams can handle 30-50 ewes himself, ram lambs can only do 15-20

seasonality and breed: if it’s not prime time for the specific breed, the ram/buck might only breed 5 females

size of breeding area: rams get to fewer females in a pasture setting bc it takes time and effort to find them

single sire vs multiple groups: competition and fighting between rams

synchronized females: if ALL the females are in heat for just one day, can he get to them all? most mature rams/bucks can only do like 10 and ram lambs might get overwhelmed

Question 24

what things are you doing 6-8 weeks out (from letting rams/bucks out) for the females?

Answer 24

body condition scoring: we want 3-3.5 at breeding

nutritional flushing of ewes/does to increase ovulation rate: feed more calories just before to give them a boost. doesn’t work if the animals are already fat. don’t give protein, just calories (grain/barely)

Question 25

why do ewe lambs/doelings need to be managed separately from mature females?

Answer 25

they are still growing AND they will be pregnant too

they need better nutrition: more protein and more concentrate
they need adequate bunk space (can get pushed out by mature females and wont get the food they need)
the mature females can be aggressive

Question 26

what age are ewes and doelings first bred? how much do we want them to weigh?

Answer 26

7-8 months of age

should weigh 70% of mature bw

some people also wait another year to breed them for the first time so theyre around 18 months old, they do this in the UK

Question 27

why is ideal body condition so important for ewe lambs/doelings

Answer 27

if too thin= they wont conceive or lose pregnancy
if too fat=prone to vaginal prolapse and dystocia, decreased milk production

Question 28

how long is the breeding season for sheep and goats? what should the conception rate be?

Answer 28

sheep os 35 days, for goats 42 days MAX. this allows for 2 full cycles and a lambing/kidding period of 45 to 50 days.

conception rate should be 95 to 100 %

Question 29

why should you NOT leave rams/bucks out for a long time?

Answer 29

the females will lamb/kid late and this is annoying and these animals dont breed well, they need to be culled

Question 30

benefits of a short breeding season?

Answer 30

easier to manage nutrition of pregnant ewes/does (theyre all the same days of gestation)

nutrition and disease prevention is more effective in lams/kids (older animals spread disease to younger animals and this way theyre all the same age)

management is more efficient: ultrasounds, shearing, nutrition changes in late gestation, parasite control, vaccines, breeding testing, selection of replacements

Question 31

implantation occurs when

Answer 31

day 16

Question 32

what can you use to abort a sheep/goat?

Answer 32

Estrumate (a PGF) injections before 30 days of pregnancy

Question 33

the placentome is made up of

Answer 33

maternal side=caruncles
fetal side=cotyledon

Question 34

briefly describe the 3 stages of parturition

Answer 34

stage 1: contractions start, restlnessnes, 2-12 hrs, she may not come for grain, may not notice at all

stage 2: delivery of lams/kids, 1-2 hours, can take longer if multiple babies

stage 3: delivery of placenta, within 6 hours is normal, longer than 24 hours is retained, nursing of lambs may help get placenta to come out (more oxytocin released). Discharge of lochia for a few weeks (uterus cleaning itself)

Question 35

when should you vaccinate females before giving birth?

Answer 35

4 week before

Question 36

describe the 30 minute rule

Answer 36

if theres 30 minutes of pushing and nothing has happned=yikes
after one baby is born and 30 mins has gone by with nothing=yikes
should see the baby up and nursing within 30 minutes