Postnatal histological development of the ovaries and uterus and the attainment of puberty in female kid goats

Abstract

This study was aimed at documenting the postnatal histological development of the ovary and uterus in female goat kids under a traditional semi-intensive management system. The histological development of the ovaries and uteri were studied in 49 female Sahel goats, from birth to 6 months of age. Ovaries of the kids were found to have primordial, primary, secondary and small tertiary follicles at birth. The mean length, width, thickness and weight of the ovaries at birth were 0.67 ± 0.08, 0.34 ± 0.04, 0.19 ± 0.02 cm and 0.03 ± 0.01 g, respectively. These parameters increased at 3 months to 1.15 ± 0.06, 0.92 ± 0.06, 0.63 ± 0.08 cm and 0.24 ± 0.03 g, respectively. Corpora lutea were observed at 5 months (20%) of age. The mean length, width and weight of the uterine horns of female kids at birth were 3.81 ± 0.64, 0.34 ± 0.07 cm, 0.22 ± 0.07 g, respectively, and increased to 7.14 ± 1.51, 0.53 ± 0.07 cm, 0.92 ± 0.49 g, respectively, by 3 months of age. The uterus at 3 months was well developed with numerous endometrial glands, caruncles and a well-developed myometrium. It could be concluded that the ovaries and uterus increased in size and weight in the postnatal period and the uterine histological development was advanced at 3 months of age. Puberty (based on gross and histologic observation of corpora lutea) was attained at 5 months of age in female Sahel goat kids under traditional management systems.