Abstract
BackgroundPredicting the ability of rams to detect, mate and fertilise ewes in oestrus accurately is certainly difficult; however, tests based on clinical examinations have been performed to assess the overall potential capacity of rams to serve and impregnate ewes. Clinical examinations for breeding soundness evaluation were carried out in 897 Rasa Aragonesa (RA) rams from 35 flocks in North-Eastern (NE) Spain. Clinical examinations of head, trunk, limbs and genitals were performed in each ram. Blood samples were collected for a serological study of Brucella ovis. The sheep owners were surveyed regarding the characteristics of the flock, rams’ health history and the management of rams. The clinical alterations found were classified according to severity (mild or severe). Rams were classified as suitable (without lesions or with only mild lesions) or unsuitable (with severe lesions) for breeding depending on the results of the clinical examinations.ResultsThe results showed that 60.6 % of rams presented some type of alteration (mild: 43.3 %; severe: 17.3 %) in various body parts (genitalia: 31.6 %; head and trunk: 37.2 %; limbs: 15.5 %), and that 16.7 % of rams were classified as unsuitable breeders. The most common genital alterations were ulcerative posthitis (18.7 %) followed by testicular lesions (5.3 %). The highest prevalence of unsuitable breeders was found in the category of adult and aged rams (13.8 % and 37.4 %, respectively) and in the category of emaciated rams (33.3 %). All rams examined were seronegative to Brucella ovis. The mean percentage of rams in flocks was 2.8 % (min: 1.6 %; max: 4.6 %); nevertheless, this percentage dropped to 2.5 % (min: 1.4 %; max: 3.7 %) and 2.1 % (min: 0.3 %; max: 3.5 %) when only suitable or effective (suitable mature) rams were considered.ConclusionThus, it is concluded that there are fewer effective rams in farms than farmers realise. Frequent clinical examination of males is recommended in order to identify potentially infertile rams.
Highlights
Predicting the ability of rams to detect, mate and fertilise ewes in oestrus accurately is certainly difficult; tests based on clinical examinations have been performed to assess the overall potential capacity of rams to serve and impregnate ewes
We describe the results of this programme, which is based on the physical examination of Rasa Aragonesa rams managed in semi-extensive natural breeding systems
The results reported here were recorded in the first phase of a new programme based on the clinical examinations of rams, which was implemented for the improvement of flock fertility
Summary
Predicting the ability of rams to detect, mate and fertilise ewes in oestrus accurately is certainly difficult; tests based on clinical examinations have been performed to assess the overall potential capacity of rams to serve and impregnate ewes. Tests have been performed to assess the overall potential capacity of rams to serve and impregnate ewes, known as breeding soundness evaluations (BSE). Clinical examinations have been proposed to detect potentially infertile or sub-fertile rams according to physical characteristics related to their breeding capacity [2, 5, 8]. These tests, based on physical evaluations, are easy to perform and do not require technical material or specialised support. Various programmes including this kind of test have been performed in several countries, including Greece, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia [5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
