12/22/2015 BreedingManagementofSheepandGoat

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BreedingManagementofSheepandGoat
Introduction

PreparationofFemale

PreparationofMale Introduction
Methodsofmating
Pointstobeconsideredintheselectionofanimalsforbreeding

Flushing

Generalbreedmanagement

Itisbettertopurchaseagoat/sheepwith2dentalages.
Thefemalesshouldpossessalongpreferablylowsetbody,roomyhindquarter,wellformedpliableudder,activeforaginghabitand
goodmotheringinstinct.
Thefemaleshavingpoormilkingcapacity,overshortorundershortjaw,brokenmouth,blindteatandmeatyuddershouldbe
disqualifiedfromthebreedingprogramme.
Wideroomyhindquarterwithgoodspacebetweeninneraspectsoftwothighsgivesanindicationaboutfuturedevelopmentofudder.
Maleanimalsshouldbeingoodbodycondition,masculine,legsshouldbestrongerandfreefromdefects.
Breedingmaleshouldshowgoodlibido.
Theanimalshouldbehavingbothtesticleintactinthescrotum.
Itwillbebetter,ifthegoatscanbepurchasedfromabestfarmorfromanindividualfarmerwhomaintainedthegoatsinabest
manner,insteadofgettingthegoatsfromweeklyshandies.
Femaleshavingabilitytoyield2or3kidsinparturitioncanbeselected.
Softandshinyskinnedgoatsshouldbeselectedandthisindicatesthehealthoftheanimal.
Animalswithbroaderbackandrumpregionswillbebetter.Broadbackandribcagesindicatesthat,goathavingbetterfeedintake
capacity.Whereasbroadrumpregionindicatesbetterbreedingcharacters.
Thefemaleshouldhavethematernalcharacterofprotectingherkidandwithbettermilkfeedingabilities.
Thefemalewithwellgrown,blendeduddershouldbeselected.
Theuddershouldbethoroughlycheckedforanykindofdefectsbeforepurchase.
Breedingeweofindigenousbreedsshouldbe18to24monthsdependingupontheirbodycondition.
Breedingtooyoungewesresultinmoreweaklingandthusresultsinhigherlambloss.
Asaguideline,femalesshouldbematedonlywhentheyreach70percentoftheaverageadultbodyweight.
Bodyweightofaneweatbreedingshouldnormallybelessthantheadultbodyweightofthatbreed.

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Thelibidooftheramisveryimportanttoachievedesirablebreeding.Poorlibidomayresultfrominadequatefeeding,extremeheat
stressorillhealth.

Reproductiveparametersofsheepandgoat

Breedingage68months
Comestoheatafterlambing21daysafter
Lengthofpregnancy147days(rangesbetween144and152days)
Malefemaleratio1:20
Estrousperiodisrepeatedevery1617daysonaverageinewes(range1419days).
Estrousperiodis1921daysindoes(range1724days).
Theestrousperiodlastsforabout2436hoursinewesand3438hoursindoes.

Estroussignsofsheepandgoat

Reddenofthevulvaanddischargefromvulva
Tailwagging
Mountingotheranimal
Seekingmale
Frequentbleating
Pushherback
Standingformating(standingreflex)

Themalesareattractedbysmell,sightandsoundandexhibitfollowingbehaviour

Sniffthevulva
Extendingneckwithcurlingofupperlip
Bitingthesideoftheewe/doeandwoolpulling
Pawtheeweraisingandloweringofonefrontleginastiffleggedstrikingmotion
Mountandmate

Identificationofsheepandgoatinheat

1.Usinganintactmale

Themaleisallowedintheflocktoidentifytheoestrousanimals.
Thereisachanceofthebuckorramwillmatethedoeoreweifitisnotcontrolledproperly.

2.Useofintactmalefittedwithaprons

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Malewithaprons

Anapronistiedontheabdomenofthemaletocoverthepenis.
Theapronismadeofasoftpieceofclothmeasuring60x45cmwithstringsonfoursidestotieitproperly.Thispreventsmating.
Theapronshouldbewasheddailyandcheckedforholesortearstoavoidunwantedmating.
Thereisariskoffertilematingiftheapronisnotsecurelyfastenedandcheckedfrequently.
Inflammation,irritationandinfectionofpenisandprepuceareacanoccur,resultingininhibitedsexualdesireandmounting
behaviour.
Theram/buckareapronizedandallowedintotheflockforidentificationofanimalsinthemorningandeveningforabout15to
20minutes.
Teasureram/buckdetectsthefemalesinheat,whicharemarkedandseparatedoutforbreedingwithdesiredram.

3.Vasactamisedram

Vasactamisedramscanbepreparedbydoingsurgicalintervention.
Anintactbuckorramisletintotheflock.Thebuckorramfollowsthedoe/eweinestrous.

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PreparationofFemale
Flushing

Flushing

Flushingisfeedingofextraconcentratetoewespriortoonsetofbreedingseason,normally3or4weeksbeforebreeding.
Thisincreasestheovulationrateofewes,sothatthenumberoftwinsandtripletsincrease.
Intropicalflockstwiningandtripletsarerareandinextensiverearingtwiningandtripletsareundesirable.
Flushingwillhaveeffectonlyiftheeweswereindecliningphaseofnutritionalavailability.
Ewesinbetterbodyconditionwillproducemorelambsthustheflushingofleanereweswillincreasethefertilitybyway
ofincreasingincidentofoestrous,increaseovulationrateanddecreasestheearlyembryonicmortalitybystrengthening
thefetalmembraneintegrity.
Flushingcanbedonebysupplementing250gofconcentratedailyor500gofgoodqualitylegumehayperheadperday.
Flushingincreasesthelambingrateby10to20percent.
Inwoolybreedsofsheepthefollowingpreparationsarerequired.

Tagging

Ewessometimesarenotbredbecausewoolortagspreventtheramfrommakingsatisfactorycopulation,thustagging
makesservicebytherammorecertain.
Theramisalsotrimmedaroundthesheath.

Eyeing

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Topreventwoolblindnessinsomebreedstheexcesswoolaroundtheeyesshouldbeclippedawayregularly.Thisprocess
isreferredtoaseyeing.

Ringing

Beforethebreedingseasonstartsthewoolsshouldbecompletelyremovedfromalloverthebodyoftheram.
Heshouldatleastbeclippedfromtheneckandfromthebellyparticularlyattheregionofpenis.Thisprocessisreferred
toasringing.
Thisprocessmakesiteasierfortheramtohavepropermating.

Crutching

Removalofwoolaroundtheperennialregionandbaseofthetailofaneweisknownascrutching.Thisfacilitatesbetter
mating.
Thisrefersshearingthelockofwoolanddirtfromthedock.

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PreparationofMale
Markingtheram/buck

Forthesakeofidentificationoftheewedoeswhichhavebeenbredbytheramsbucks,itisessentialthatramsbucksmusthavesome
cyeintheirbreast,whichatthetimeofmatingwillmarktheparticularewesdoes(markedewesdoes).Forthiseitherlampblackor
Venetianredismixedupwithlinseedoiltomakeapaste,whichisthenappliedinthebrisketareaatleastonceaweek.
Whentherambuckmountstheewedoeduringthecourseofbreeding,shewillbemarkedontherump(marked).
Thismakesitpossibletorecordthedatewhentheewesdoearebredandalsotoremovethemfromthebreedingflock.
Thecolourofthedyeshouldbechangedevery16to18dayssothattherepeaterscanbediscovered,ifthebredewesdoeshavenot
beenremovedfromtheflock.
Thisprocessistermedasmarkingofewes1doesbybreedingrambuckandmarkedewesdoesconsideredasbred.

Raddle/raddling

Markingofewebyramcanalsobedonebyraddle.Raddleisnothingbutaramharnesscontainingcrayon,whichisrubbedonthe
ewesrumpwhenmatingtakesplace,sothatacolourmarkisleft.
Theprocessofallowingtheramtorunalongwithraddleistermedasraddling.
Theabovepracticecanalsobeadoptedingoats

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Methodsofmating
1.Handmating

Inthissystemthefemalesareallowedtomateonebyone.
Inthissystemaramorbuckwillnotbeallowedtomatemorethanthreeewes/doesinaday.
Merits

Thismethodensuretheexpectedtimeoflambing/kidding
Thissystemallowsthefarmertoknowthattheanimalhasactuallybred.
Thissystemreducestheriskofinjuriestotheanimals.
Itisbeneficialwhenmatingoldermalewithayoungerfemale.
Italsoimprovesthebreedingefficiencyofmale,resultinginanincreasednumberoffemalesthatcanbebredinshorter
periodoftime.
2.Penmating

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Inthismatingsystemtheewes/doesaredividedintobatchesvaryingfrom20to25ewes/does.
Malesareturnedintotheflockonlyduringthenighttimeandseparatedduringdaytime.
Merits

Thissystemofmatingpreventsthedisturbancestotheewes/doesbythemaleduringgrazinghours.
Malesarealsogivenenoughrestandtheycanbefedproperly.
3.Flockmating/pasturemating

Inthissystemmalesareallowedtorunalongwiththefemalesthroughoutthedayandnight.
Themalemayloseitmostofitsbodyreservesinchasingthefemalesandtheymaylosetheirbodyconditions.
Demerits

Theramorbucksometimesmaydevelopattractionforparticulareweordoeinheatandserveitanumberoftimeswhile
otherremainsunattendedresultinginemptyewes/doesandlowfertilityrate.
Theram/bucksometimeexhaustitselfovernightbyservingmorethanadozentimesandthelastservedewesordoesnot
receiveoptimumnumberofspermatozoaandremainunconceived.
4.Artificialinsemination

Artificialinseminationofferthebestmeansofdistributinggermplasmfromnucleusbreedingflocktomanysmallflockswithin
eachecosystem.
Freshaswellasfrozensemenisused.
Thespeculummethodofinseminationisusedforewesanddoes.
Generallyartificialinseminationleadstolowerreproductiveratethannaturalserviceandfrozensemengivesevenmuchlow
pregnancyratethatisaround40%.
Cervicalinseminationisgenerallyfollowedforbetterconceptionrate.

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Careofpregnantanimals

Thepregnantanimalsewesshouldnotbehandledfrequently.
Theewes/doesinadvancedstageofpregnancyshouldbeseparatedfromtheflockandeffectivecareshouldbetakenin
theirfeeding.

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Extrafeedduringthelaterpartofpregnancy(34weeksbeforeparturition)willbebeneficialfortheconditionofthepreparturient
ewesdoeswhichwillhelpinimprovingmilkproductionofewesdoesandbirthweightandgrowthoflambs/kids.
Inadequateandpoornutritioninpregnantanimalsmayresultinpregnancytoxaemia,abortionandprematurebirthofweaklambs/
kids.
Ewe/doeinadvancedstageofpregnancyshouldbekeptinaseparatelambingcoralsorshed46daysbeforepartitionandmaximum
comfortlikesoftcleanbeddingandindividuallambingpenshouldbeprovided.
Thepregnantewe/doeshouldbeprotectedfromchillyweathercondition.

Careatkidding/lambing/parturition

Thepreparatorystageofkiddingrangesbetween20to50minutes.
Vigilanteyeshouldbekeptfordystociaordifficultbirth.
Maidenewesinpoorconditionorsmallframedewesmatedtobigramswillgenerallyhavedifficultyinparturitionand
willhavetobeassisted.
Ifnoprogressinkidding,bettercallfortheveterinaryobstetricianforphysicalmanipulationandsurgicalneed.
Afterkiddingthedoenaturallylicksthekidswhichshewouldinvariablydoandremovethemembranouscoverandshemayeveneat
it.
Allowtolickthekids,whichhelpsinearlydrying,sensitizingandstimulatingthekidandtherebyattractsthenewbornwithmotherly
instincttowardsudder.
Ifshedoesnotdosobetterremovethemembranousattachmentfromovertheface,nostrils,eyes,mouthaswellasthe
bodyparts.
ApplyTinctureiodineonthenavalaftercuttingthenavalcord1belowwithanewsterilizedrazorblade.
Donotleavethenavelcordassuchinhangingpositionlestitmayattractthecrowsinopencausingbleedinginjuryto
thenavel.
Allowthekidstosucklethemotherwithin20minutesofbirthsothatthekidsgetVitArichcolostrumandimmunoglobulinessential
forthekids.
Givethedoewarmcerealmealthegrueldrinkeitherassuchormixedwithonetotwotablespoonful.
Incaseofheavymilkerifnotsuckedbythekidsheshouldbemilkedoutsoontotheextentofrelievingherudderpressure.
Elitedairygoatofhighproductionpotentialshouldbemilkedfromthethirddayofkidding.
Thelambs/kidsshouldnotbehandledtoofrequentlyimmediatelyafterbirthandletthedamslickandrecognizethemproperly.
Thefirst1to2hrsafterbirthisthevitalperiodforestablishmentofbondbetweenthenewbornandthemother.Hence
thedamshouldbekeptinacalmplacewithoutdisturbancefromstraydogsandotheranimals.
Allownewbornlambs1kidstobewiththeirmotherallthe24hrsforfirstweekorso.

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Generalbreedingmanagement

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Themalefemaleratiois1:20.
Youngmalescanbeputintoexperiencedolderewesandolderramstoyoungereweswillhelpinbettermating.
Inbreedingshouldbeavoided.
Themalesshouldbereplacedorexchangedonceintwoyearstoavoidinbreeding.
Breedingeweofindigenousbreedsshouldbe18to24monthsdependingupontheirbodycondition.
Breedingtooyoungewesresultinmoreweaklingandthusresultsinhigherlambloss.
Bodyweightofeweatbreedingshouldnormallybelessthantheadultbodyweightofthatbreed.
Oestrousdetectionofallfemalegoatsabove1yearshouldbedoneeitherwithappronedorvasectomizedbuckbothinmorningor
eveningduringbreedingseason.
ThenormalbreedingseasonisSepttoOct,FebtoMarchandMaytoJune.
Inordertosynchronizethemimprovedhormonaltechnologymaybeusedorbuckmaybeinapartitionedcorralofwovenwirenetso
thatthedoesandthebuckmayhavefullviewofeachother.Thismaybedoneaweekortwobeforeorduringthebreedingseason.
A90%conceptionrateindoesmaybeensuredifonebuckwithonedoeormoredoes(notexceeding2to3)inheatareallowedto
remaintogetherforawholedayorwholenightprovideditisfollowedoverperiodof3cycles.
If2servicesatanintervalof8to12hrsispractised,improvementinconceptionmaybeachieved.
Goatswhichdonotreturntooestrusafter2cyclesareconsideredaspregnantandshouldbeseparatedfromthedry,nonpregnant
flock.Theyshouldbekeptinagroupofnotmorethan15to20doestoavoidinfighting.
Iftheyhavenokiddingforcompleteone,yeartheyshouldberemovedfromflock.
Effortsshouldalwaysbemadetoavoidkiddingduringthepeakwinterseasonwhichcanbepracticallyachievedbyaplanned
breedingavoidingsummerseasonwithinaspecifiedperiodbetween15thmayto15thJune.Thiswillsavethekidsfromcold
susceptibilityandresultantpneumonicdeathduringwinter.
Avoidstarvationofgoatsinceeventwodaysstarvationperiodearlyinpregnancycancauseahighpercentageofshedembryostobe
absorbed.

Managementalmethodstooptimizebreeding

1. Oestrousstimulation

Itisthepracticeofstimulatingandsynchronizingbreedingbyputtingvasectomizedmaleswithfemalesabout10daysto2weeks
priortothebeginningofbreeding.
Asaresultofthis,largeportionoftheeweswillovulateandconceiveduringtheearlypartofthebreedingseason.

2. Oestroussynchronization

Oestrouscycleoftheewe/doeissynchronizedsothatlargenumbersofthemcomeinheatatonetime.
Thiswouldhelpinreducingthecostofartificialinseminationornaturalbreedingandsubsequentcareatlambing/kidding.
Itgivesuniformflocksoflambs/kids,whichwillfacilitatethedisposalandfetchmoreprices.

3. Ram/buckeffect

Suddenintroductionofram/buckintheewes/doesflockafterprolongedseparationbringmorenumberofewes/doesintooestrous.

4. Telescoping

Introducingramintheflockafterkeepingitawayfor2to3months
Suddenintroductionoframintotheewesflockwillbring70to80%ofewesinheatinthefirstoestrouscycle.
theabovetechniquecanalsobeappliedtogoats

5. Hormonalmethod

Administrationofprogesteronehormonesortheiranaloguesthroughfeed,asimplantorasimpregnatedvaginalsponges.Afterthe
administrationfor14daysthehormoneiswithdrawn.Theanimalcomestoheatwithin3days.

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AdministrationoftwointramuscularinjectionsofProstaglandinF2alphaoritssyntheticanalogues10mgeachatanintervalof10
daysbringalltheanimalsinheatwithin72to96hrs.
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