Two experiments were conducted utilizing ewes to determine the effects of small diameter IUDs on fertility, lengths of estrous cycles and uterine histology. In both experiments, IUDs were inserted bilaterally at day 3 of the estrous cycle (estrus = day 0). The IUDs were single strands of nylon suture (.3 mm diameter) lying free in the uterine lumen except at a point of attachment near the utero...

The objectives of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of histologic thyroids lesions and the respective thyroid hormones changes of ewes in an endemic goiter region and to find out any impact of this condition on the fetal thyroid structures and serum thyroid hormones. In the present study a total number of 100 pregnant ewes and their fetuses slaughtered at slaughterhouse were...

Ability to select service sires that minimize partial or complete losses of pregnancy could have major economic impacts in sheep production systems. This study tested the null hypothesis that survival of potential progeny did not vary with breed type of service sire or among individual rams. Data included 980 ewes on 10 farms; each ewe was pregnant to 1 of 67 rams of 12 breeds. Number of concep...

Two separate experiments were conducted with sheep‘ grazing Pangola grass pastures. In the first experiment, eight groups of pregnant ewes (six ewes/group) were used. Each group received one of the following supplements, no supplement (control), phosphorus, sodium, iodine, cobalt, mineral mixture, sorghum grain and sorghum grain plus urea. Ewes supplemented with cobalt lost less weight during l...

The Bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) strain, which emerged in Europe in 2006, had an unusually high ability to cause foetal infection in pregnant ruminants. Other serotypes of BTV had already been present in Europe for more than a decade, but transplacental transmission of these strains had never been demonstrated. To determine whether transplacental transmission is a unique feature of BTV-8...

Ram spermatozoa from the distal caput, corpus, and cauda epididymis and ejaculated spermatozoa were artificially inseminated in 170 ewes which had been treated with an ovulatory dose of PMSG 61 ! 4 hrs previously. Results were expressed as the percent of ewes pregnant 18 days after insemination (F = with positive progesterone assay/ Q inseminated) and embryonic survival (ES = ewes lambing/ preg...

The present study was designed to estimate the effect of carrots supplementation on reproductive performance in ewes. Thirty Awassi Ewes were randomly divided into three equal groups, distributed as 10 ewes for each group. First group consider control, second feed 400 g carrot/animal daily, third 800 daily. Each synchronized with intra vaginal sponges and injected IU eCG at time sponge withdraw...

Causes of reproductive loss in ewes synchronized and mated during the anestrous season and during the normal breeding season were compared with those for natural cyclic ewes mated in season. Synchronization of ewes in season and out of season with progestogen: pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) increased ovulation rate, but the percentage of ewes ovulating did not differ from that noted fo...

The effects of high salt intake on blood pressure and renal function were studied in nine subtotally nephrectomized pregnant ewes (STNxP) and seven intact pregnant ewes (IntP) in late gestation and in eight subtotally nephrectomized nonpregnant ewes (STNxNP) and seven intact nonpregnant ewes (IntNP). STNxP had higher mean arterial pressures (P < 0.02) and plasma creatinine levels (P < 0.001) th...