Evaluating reproductive outcomes in Saanen and Alpine doelings with suboptimal live weight and performance of their progeny
Abstract
Aim of the study: This study aimed to evaluate the reproductive performance of Saanen and Alpine doelings with suboptimum live weight and the productive performance of their progeny.
Area of study: The study was conducted at the Goat Unit of the Facultad de Agronomia y Veterinaria of the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi.
Material and Methods: Eight- to ten-month-old doelings (Alpine: n=63; Saanen: n=36) were induced to ovulate with exposure to vasectomized bucks and bred with natural service for two reproductive cycles (42 days). Pregnancy status, prolificacy, and reproductive rate were calculated. Doelings did not receive a nutritional supplement to enhance growth rates. Data were analyzed by binomial or multinomial distribution.
Main results: Sixty-six percent of goats conceived, and a higher proportion conceived in their first reproductive cycle (86%; p < 0.001) after joining to bucks. Conception age differed between breeds (Alpine: 293±3 d; Saanen: 283±5 d; p < 0.05) but not live weight (Alpine: 23.5±0.5 kg; Saanen: 24.8±0.8; p > 0.05). Fertility (Alpine: 68%; Saanen: 61%), prolificacy (Alpine:14%; Saanen:23%), and reproductive rate (Alpine: 87%; Saanen:8 9%) did not differ between genotypes. Progeny birth weight (Alpine: 2.8±0.1 kg; Saanen: 3.0±0.1kg), body mass index (Alpine: 0.29±0.01; Saanen: 3.0±0.1 points), daily weight gain (Alpine: 172±9 g/d; Saanen: 171±8 g/d) and weaning weight (Alpine: 11.6±0.5 kg; Saanen: 11.4±0.4 kg) did not differ (p > 0.05) between genotypes. Six stillborns and seven postnatal deaths occurred. On average, the kid´s postnatal death was at 25±8 d with no difference between litter size or sex of goat kids between genotypes (p > 0.05).
Research highlights: We concluded that Saanen and Alpine doelings with suboptimum breeding weight can be successfully bred at nine months of age and kidded at fourteen months of age. The fertility rate was acceptable, but most doelings kidded single offspring. The offspring’s live weight was below the average, and the mortality rate was below 10%. Further research is needed to elucidate the milk yield and composition and the consecutive reproductive performance of these doelings, especially when they are only 14 months of age.
Downloads
References
Alvarado-Espino, A.S., Meza-Herrera, C.A., Carrillo, E., González-Álvarez, V.H., Guillen-Muñoz, J.M., Ángel- García, O., Mellado, M., Véliz-Deras, F.G., 2016. Reproductive outcomes of Alpine goats primed with progesterone and treated with human chorionic gonadotropin during the anestrus-to-estrus transition season. Animal Reproduction Science 167, 133-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2016.02.019
Assan N, 2020. Determinants of birth weight and its size as an onset representative of growth potential in goat and sheep meat production. Agric Adv 9, 522-536. https://doi.org/10.14196/aa.v9i5.645
Bélanger-Naud S, Cinq-Mars D, Julien C, Arsenault J, Buczinski S, Lévesque J, Vasseur E, 2021. A survey of dairy goat kid-rearing practices on Canadian farms and their associations with self-reported farm performance. J Dairy Sci 104, 9999-10009. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18663
Castillo-Gutierrez D, Hernández-Arteaga LES, Flores-Najera MJ, Cuevas-Reyes V, Vázquez-García JM, Loredo-Osti C, Beltrán-López S, Ballesteros-Rodea G, Gonzalez-Bulnes A, Meza-Herrera CA, Rosales-Nieto CA, 2022. Methionine supplementation during pregnancy of goats improves kids’ birth weight, body mass index, and postnatal growth pattern. Biology 11, 1065. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11071065
Chasles M, Chesneau D, Moussu C, Abecia JA, Delgadillo JA, Chemineau P, Keller M, 2019. Highly precocious activation of reproductive function in autumn-born goats (Capra hircus) by exposure to sexually active bucks. Dom Anim Endocriol 68, 100-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.domaniend.2019.01.004
Cuevas-Reyes V, Flores-Sánchez J, Ramírez de la Cruz E, Vázquez-García JM, Hernández-Arteaga LES, Sims R, Cavazos-Galindo JM, Mellado M, Rosales-Nieto CA, 2025. Effects of Prenatal Herbal Methionine Supplementation on Growth Indices, Onset of Puberty, Blood Metabolites, and Fertility of Alpine Doelings. Biology 14(3):237. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14030237
Delgadillo JA, Martin GB, 2015. Alternative methods for control of reproduction in small ruminants: A focus on the needs of grazing industries. Anim Front 5, 57-65. https://doi.org/10.2527/af.2015-0009
Dereje T, Mengistu U, Getachew A, Yoseph M, 2015. A review of productive and reproductive characteristics of indigenous goats in Ethiopia. Livest Res Rural Develop 27, 34.
Espinoza-Flores LA, Andrade-Esparza JD, Hernández H, Zarazaga LA, Abecia JA, Chemineau P, Keller M, Delgadillo JA, 2020. Male effect using photostimulated bucks and nutritional supplementation advance puberty in goats under semi-extensive management. Theriogenology 143, 82-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.12.005
FASS. Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching, 3rd ed.; Federation Animal Science Society: Champaing, IL, USA, 2010; p. 177.
FAOStat. Crops and livestock products. Available online at: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL (accessed July 26, 2023).
Flores-Najera MJ, Vélez-Monroy LI, Sánchez-Duarte JI, Cuevas-Reyes V, Mellado M, Rosales-Nieto CA, 2020. Milk yield and composition and body weight of offsprings of mixed-breed goats on semi-arid rangelands with different rainfall. Trop Anim Health Prod 52, 3799-3808. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-020-02418-z
Flores-Najera MJ, Cuevas-Reyes V, Vázquez-García JM, Beltrán-López S, Meza-Herrera CA, Mellado M, Negrete-Sánchez LO, Rivas-Jacobo MA, Rosales-Nieto CA, 2021. Milk yield and composition of mixed- breed goats on rangeland during the dry season and the effect on the growth of their progeny. Biology 10, 220. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology10030220
Fonseca J, Torres C, 2005. Administration of hCG 5 days after breeding and reproductive performance in nulliparous dairy goats. Reprod Domest Anim 40, 495-499. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0531.2005.00612.x
Freitas VJF, Lopes-Junior ES, Rondina D, Salmito-Vanderley CSB, Salles HO, Simplício AA, Baril G, Saumande J, 2004. Puberty in Anglo-Nubian and Saanen female kids raised in the semi-arid of North-eastern Brazil. Small Rumin Res 53, 167-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2003.07.005
Haldar A, Pal P, Datta M, Paul R, Pal SK, Majumdar D, Biswas CK, Pan S, 2014. Prolificacy and its relationship with age, body weight, parity, previous litter size and body linear type traits in meat-type goats. Asian-Australas J Anim Sci 27, 628-634. https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.2013.13658
Hamed A, 2010. Factors affecting reproductive performance of Zaraibi goats. Egypt J Sheep Goats Sci 5, 35-55. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejsgs.2010.27043
Harighi MF, Wahid H, Khumran AM, Baiee F, 2022. Breeding soundness examination (BSE): a decision-making tool that requires a particular guideline for male goats. Trop Anim Health Prod 54, 174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-022-03178-8
Ince D, 2010. Reproduction performance of Saanen goats raised under extensive conditions. Afr. J. Biotechnol 9, 8253-8256. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB10.1345
Juengel JL, Cushman RA, Dupont J, Fabre S, Lea RG, Martin GB, Mossa F, Pitman JL, Price CA, Smith P, 2021. The ovarian follicle of ruminants: the path from conceptus to adult. Reprod Fert Dev 33, 621-642. https://doi.org/10.1071/RD21086
Kenyon PR, Corner-Thomas RA, 2022. Breeding Ewe Lambs: An Australasian Perspective. Animals 12, 3207. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12223207
Kenyon PR, van der Linden DS, West DM, Morris ST, 2011. The effect of breeding hoggets on lifetime performance. NZ J Agric Res 54, 321-330. https://doi.org/10.1080/00288233.2011.611148
Kenyon PR, Thompson AN, Morris ST, 2014. Breeding ewe lambs successfully to improve lifetime performance. Small Rumin Res 118, 2-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2013.12.022
Keski̇n, M., Gül, S., Bi̇cer, O., Daşkiran, I., 2017. Some reproductive, lactation, and kid growth characteristics ofKilis goats under semiintensive conditions. Turkish Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences 41, 248-254. https://doi.org/10.3906/vet-1604-33
Kilkenny C, Browne WJ, Cuthill IC, Emerson M, Altman DG, 2010. Improving Bioscience Research Reporting: The ARRIVE guidelines for reporting animal research. PLOS Biol 8:e1000412. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000412
McManus C, Soares Filho G, Louvandini H, Talarico Dias L, de Almeida Teixeira R, Sayori Murata L, 2008. Growth of Saanen, Alpine and Toggenburg goats in the federal district, Brazil: genetic and environmental factors. Cienc Anim Bras 9, 68-75. https://doi.org/10.5216/cab.v9i1.3662
Mellado, M., 2011. Husbandry of dairy animals goat: Reproductive management. In: Encyclopedia of Dairy Sciences, Elsevier, GA, USA. pp. 834-840.
Mellado M, Amaro JL, García JE, Lara LM, 2000. Factors affecting gestation length in goats and the effect of gestation period on kid survival. J Agric Sci 135, 85-89. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859699007935
Mellado M, Valdéz R, García JE, López R, Rodríguez A, 2006. Factors affecting the reproductive performance of goats under intensive conditions in a hot arid environment. Small Rumin Res 63, 110-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2005.02.016
Mellado M, Valdez R, Lara LM, García JE, 2004. Risk factors involved in conception, abortion, and kidding rates of goats under extensive conditions. Small Rumin Res 55, 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2003.10.016
Mellado M, Rodríguez IJ, Alvarado-Espino A, Véliz FG, Mellado J, García JE, 2020. Short communication: reproductive response to concentrate supplementation of mixed-breed goats on rangeland. Trop Anim Health Prod 52, 2737-2741. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-020-02264-z
Moaeen-ud-Din M, Yang LG, Chen SL, Zhang ZR, Xiao JZ, Wen QY, Dai M, 2008. Reproductive performance of Matou goat under sub-tropical monsoonal climate of Central China. Trop Anim Health Prod 40, 17-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-007-9043-z
Montgomery GW, 2024. Genetic regulation of ovulation rate and multiple births. Rep Fert Dev 36. https://doi.org/10.1071/RD24083
NAM-National Academy of Medicine. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Co-Produced by the National Academy of Medicine–Mexico and the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International, 1st ed.; Harlan: Mexico City, Mexico, 2010.
NRC, 2007. Nutrient Requirements of Small Ruminants: Sheep, Goats, Cervids and New World Camelids. Natl.
Acad. Press, Washington, DC. USA. 292 pp.
Oldham CM, Thompson AN, Ferguson MB, Gordon DJ, Kearney GA, Paganoni BL, 2011. The birthweight and survival of Merino lambs can be predicted from the profile of liveweight change of their mothers during pregnancy. Anim Prod Sci 51, 776-783. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN10155
Paganoni BL, Ferguson MB, Kearney GA, Thompson AN, 2014. Increasing weight gain during pregnancy results in similar increases in lamb birthweights and weaning weights in Merino and non-Merino ewes regardless of sire type. Anim Prod Sci 54, 727-735. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN13263
Panorama-Agroalimentario. Secretaria de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural y Servicio de Información Agroalimentaria y Pesquera. 2024. Available online: https://nube.siap.gob.mx/gobmx_publicaciones_siap/
(accessed on February 20, 2025).
Panzuti C, Duvaux-Ponter C, Dessauge F, 2018. High feeding level after early weaning had no impact on subsequent milk production in Alpine goats. J Appl Anim Res 46, 1344-1351. https://doi.org/10.1080/09712119.2018.1505623
Robertson SM, Atkinson T, Friend MA, Allworth MB, Refshauge G, 2020. Reproductive performance in goats and causes of perinatal mortality: A review. Anim Prod Sci 60, 1669. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN20161
Rosales Nieto CA, Thompson AN, Macleay CA, Briegel JR, Hedger MP, Ferguson MB, Martin GB, 2014. Relationships among body composition, circulating concentrations of leptin and follistatin, and the onset of puberty and fertility in young female sheep. Anim Reprod Sci 151, 148-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2014.10.008
Rosales Nieto CA, Ferguson MB, Thompson H, Briegel JR, Macleay CA, Martin GB, Thompson AN, 2015. Relationships among puberty, muscle and fat, and liveweight gain during mating in young female sheep. Reprod Domest Anim 50, 637-642. https://doi.org/10.1111/rda.12542
Rosales Nieto CA, Thompson AN, Martin GB, 2018. A new perspective on managing the onset of puberty and early reproductive performance in ewe lambs: a review. Anim Prod Sci 58, 1967-1975. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN17787
Rosales Nieto CA, Ferguson MB, Briegel JR, Hedger MP, Martin GB, Thompson AN, 2019. Pre-pubertal growth, muscle and fat accumulation in male and female sheep—Relationships with metabolic hormone concentrations, timing of puberty and reproductive outcomes. Reprod Domest Anim 54, 1596-1603. https://doi.org/10.1111/rda.13568
Rosales-Nieto CA, Ehrhardt R, Mantey A, Makela B, Byrem Veiga-Lopez A, 2021. Preconceptional diet manipulation and fetus number can influence placenta endocrine function in sheep. Domest Anim Endocrinol 74, 106577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.domaniend.2020.106577
Rosales-Nieto, C.A., Thompson, A.N., Cuevas-Reyes, V., Hérnandez-Arteaga, L.E.S., Greeff, J.C., Ehrhardt, R., Veiga-Lopez, A., Martin, G.B., 2024. Utilising male stimulus to improve the reproductive efficiency of 8-month-old nulliparous ewes and adult parous ewes. Theriogenology 217, 143-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/.theriogenology.2024.01.023
SAS Institute, 2010. SAS/Stat user’s guide, version 9.3. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA.
Sanahmmed, A., Raoof, M., Sartip, S. 2023. The effect of Genetic and Non-Genetic factors on Birth and weaning weights in Saanen goats. J Surv Fish Sci, 10(3S), 4844-4849. https://doi.org/10.17762/sfs.v10i3S.1690
Sánchez, F., Montaldo, H., Juárez, A., 1994. Environmental and genetic effects on birth weight in graded-up goat kids. Canadian J Anim Sci 74, 397-400. https://doi.org/10.4141/cjas94-057
Sen U, Onder H, 2016. The effect of estrus synchronization programmes on parturition time and some reproductive characteristics of Saanen goats. J Appl Anim Res 44, 376-379. https://doi.org/10.1080/09712119.2015.1091348
Simplicio AA, Figueiredo EAP, Riera GS, Foote WC, 1990. Puberty in four genotypes of female goats in Northeast Brazil. Pesq Agropec Bras 25, 455–459.
Snyman MA, 2010. Influence of body weight, age and management system on reproduction of South African Angora goat does. S Afr J Anim Sci 40, 41-53.
Thompson AN, Bowen E, Keiller J, Pegler D, Kearney G, Rosales-Nieto CA, 2021. The number of offspring weaned from ewe lambs is affected differently by liveweight and age at breeding. Animals 11, 2733. https://oi.org/10.3390/ani11092733
Young JM, Trompf J, Thompson AN, 2014. The critical control points for increasing reproductive performance can be used to inform research priorities. Anim Prod Sci 54, 645-655. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN13269
Van Nevel H, Hustedt K, Schnepel N, Muscher-Banse AS, 2023. The GH/IGF1 axis in the kidney of young goats fed a protein-reduced diet. Animal 17, 100897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2023.100897
Wilson RT, 1989. Reproductive performance of African indigenous small ruminants under various management systems: A review. Anim Reprod Sci 20, 265-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4320(89)90075-4
Zamuner F, Leury BJ, DiGiacomo K, 2023. Review: Feeding strategies for rearing replacement dairy goats – from birth to kidding. Animal 17, 100853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2023.100853
Zamuner F, Carpenter EK, Gebrekidan H, Arcos-Gómez G, Parkinson A, Cameron AWN, Leury BJ, DiGiacomo K, 2024. Successful transfer of passive immunity: The natural alternative to antibiotics for boosting the survival of intensively reared dairy goat kids. Animal 18, 101040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2023.101040
Copyright (c) 2025 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the print and online versions of this journal are the property of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.
All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You may read the basic information and the legal text of the licence. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 licence must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the final version of the work produced by the publisher, is not allowed.
Funding data
-
Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí
Grant numbers 511-6/2019.-8024; 511-6/2019.-12305
