Comparison of the effect of cronolone sponges and PMSG or cloprostenol on estrous induction in Turkish Saanen goats.

The efficiency of cronolone sponges in combination with either pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) or cloprostenol (PGF2alpha) for inducing and synchronizing the estrous cycle in Turkish Saanen does was investigated during the transition from non-breeding to breeding season. All does (n = 80) were treated with 20 mg cronolone sponges for 11 days and divided into 4 equal groups. In addition, each doe received an intramuscular injection of either 1.5 ml sterile saline solution, 0.075 mg PGF2alpha, 500 IU PMSG or 500 IU PMSG and 0.075 mg PGF2alpha, 24 h before the sponge removal. Cervical artificial insemination (AI) with frozen-thawed semen was performed once 16 h after the detection of the first accepted mount. The total estrous response for the first 24 +/- 4 h, total estrous response within 96 h, time to onset of the induced estrus, duration of the induced estrus and pregnancy rate was found to be 75.0%, 97.5%, 31.4 +/- 1.2 h, 29.3 +/- 1.2 h, and 33.3%, respectively. There were significant differences between the first two groups and the last two groups in terms of the onset of induced estrus and estrous response at the first 24 +/- 4 h (P < 0.05). These results indicate that the use of cronolone/PMSG was more effective than cronolone/PGF2alpha in the attainment of early and compact induction of estrus in Turkish Saanen does.

Factors affecting placental traits and relationships of placental traits with neonatal behaviour in goat.

The relationships between placental characteristics and litter weight, factors affecting these characteristics, and the relationship between these characteristics and neonatal behaviour of goat kids were investigated in this study. The study was carried out over three consecutive years and animal material consisted of total 152 Turkish Saanen goats and their 230 kids. The results of the study demonstrated that there were positive correlations between litter weight (LW), cotyledon number (CN), placental weight (PW) (r=0.64 and 0.76, P<0.01), but there was negative correlation between LW and cotyledon density (CD) (r=-0.42, P<0.01). CD was negatively correlated with PW (r=-0.61, P<0.01). CN and PW were influenced by the parity of doe, birth type-sex combination, buck within years and year of the study. On the other hand, parity and birth type-sex combination had no effect on PE (P>0.05), but buck within year affected placental efficiency (P<0.01). CD was only influenced by the parity of doe (P<0.01). Duration of birth (D) was not significantly related with CD, but if CD declined, it prolonged (r=-0.23, P>0.05). There were strong relationships between CD and birth-to-standing (B-St), and CD and birth-to-suckling (B-Su) (r=-0.42 and -0.51, P=0.01 and P<0.01). The results of the present study have shown similarities to the findings of the studies in sheep. Further studies are required to investigate the basis of the relationship between CD and neonatal behaviour.