The present study aimed to determine genetic variability and population structure of native Turkish goats including Hair, Kabakulak, Honamli and Norduz. A total of 255 different alleles and 16 private alleles were detected across 20 microsatellite loci. Number of alleles ranged from 8.30 (Norduz) to 11.70 (Hair), whereas number of effective alleles varied from 5.20 (Norduz) to 7.21 (Hair). Observed

Two experiments were conducted to assess the effect of lupin grain (Lupinus angustifolius; LUP) on milk characteristics of Awassi ewes, nutrient intake and digestibility and body weight of suckling lambs. Same diets were offered to the different groups of animals in both experiments. Dietary treatments contained no LUP (CON) or 200 g/kg LUP (LUP200) of dietary dry matter (DM) in substitution part of

Alpacas (Vicugna pacos) produce a high-value fibre and leather that is increasingly sought after for the production of luxury goods. Although several studies have addressed the genetics and gene expression of alpaca skin, particularly those associated with colour, little is known about the structural and molecular compositions of alpaca skin. In this study, alpaca skin was analysed using small angle

Research on Soay Island sheep showed a positive association of serum 25(OH)D concentration and fecundity, while similar research on Scottish sheep didn’t show an association with fecundity but did show an association with weaned lamb weight. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine if serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations of ewes at mating, on a commercial sheep farm, was associated

This study was carried to evaluate the effects of essential oils (EO) supplementation to sheep diets on their performance and ruminal fermentation characteristics through meta-analysis. Twenty-one peer-reviewed publications with 50 treatment means were included in the data set. The effects of EO as an additive in sheep diets were evaluated using random-effect models to examine the raw mean difference

The ability to identify ewes that can outperform their contemporaries, in terms of how long they remain productive in the flock, will help towards improving flock efficiency and profitability. The main objectives of this study were to: (1) identify the main reasons for mortality or culling within diverse sheep production systems in Ireland, Norway and UK; (2) investigate the influence of early life

Summer heat stress (HS) in warm climates decreases feedlot performance and, in extreme cases, causes death in fattening lambs. A traditional strategy to mitigate effects of HS has been the installation of galvanized sheet metal shades that partially or totally cover the corrals; however, the impact of total shading on thermoregulation and growth in hair lambs has been little studied. Twenty Dorper × Pelibuey

Knowledge of associations between skin follicle development in Angora goats and development of mohair fleeces is limited. These associations were investigated using data from a controlled nutrition experiment which had 3 levels of mid pregnancy nutrition (MPN) × 2 levels of postnatal nutrition during lactation (PNN), with single and twin litters. Skin biopsies were taken (birth, 114, 180, 420 days

Modulation of fatty acid content in meat is thought to be a primary approach to increase human consumption of healthy fatty acids, including polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Recently, curcumin has been used to enhance PUFA content, as well as to reduce the content of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in egg yolk and milk; nevertheless, its effects on meat remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of this

Avikalin sheep has been developed for higher growth rate and wool yield, however, wool has lost its market value over time. The aim of the study was to know the genetic potential of Avikalin for growth and also to suggest a selection criterion for higher growth with feed conversion efficiency. A total of 6296 animals descended from 2048 dams and 390 sires spread over a period of 41 years (1976-2016)

There is little information available on the nutrient requirements of suckling Angora kids weighing less than 10 kg which has resulted in nutrition recommendations being based on older, heavier and weaned goats. This experiment determined the energy intake of suckling Angora kids to estimate maintenance ME requirement (MEm) and ME required for growth (MEg) for 8 and 21 day old kids. Does were housed

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of reduced glutathione (GSH) supplementation on sperm motility, kinematics, mitochondrial activity and the abundance of sperm hexose transporters during liquid storage of ram semen at 5 ℃. Semen samples from eight rams were pooled and diluted with Tris-egg yolk extender supplemented with 0 (control), 50, 100 and 200 mM GSH, and they were assessed

Sheep were domesticated around 9000 BC in the Middle East, and since then milk from sheep gradually became very popular, not only for drinking but also for making cheeses and other dairy products. Nowadays, these dairy products are also important for people with an allergy to cow milk, and these products are an essential part of the local daily diet in regions of the world that are not suitable for

The genetic diversity and structure of Bolivian alpaca populations, and genetic relationship between alpacas, llamas and vicunas has been assessed using microsatellite markers. Overall alpaca and llama populations present higher genetic diversity (He = 0,73) than vicunas (He = 0,59). Genetic analysis and population structure have shown a closer relationship between alpacas and llamas, suggesting admixture

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the hormonal and biochemical profile of dromedary she-camels with multiple ovarian cysts (MOC). Seventeen she-camels suffering from MOC and 10 control animals were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were collected from all animals. Progesterone (P4), estradiol 17-β (E2), Testosterone, tri-iodothyronine (T3), Thyroxine (T4), glucose, total protein

Aimed at understanding how lamb production systems can affect sward structure in tropical grass pastures, the productive, structural and morphological characteristics of Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.) pasture were evaluated in four systems: non-weaned and non-supplemented lambs (NW); non-weaned lambs receiving concentrate supplementation in creep feeding (CF); early-weaned lambs not supplemented (W); and

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis that affects man and homeothermic animals, caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite is responsible for congenital diseases, miscarriage and stillbirth in some species, such as sheep. Although outbreaks of abortion are considered important, descriptions of these outbreaks in ewes in Brazil are rare, even though infection is highly prevalent, and

Prosopis juliflora is a small mesquite tree native to Central and South America, with invasive populations in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including North Africa and the Arab Gulf region where it has been introduced for livestock forage. In Egypt, the geographical pattern of its spread suggests that domestic sheep are important seed vectors. We assessed the effect of seed passage

The study was done to determine the benzimidazole resistance-associated polymorphisms in seven organized goat farms in northern, central and southern regions of Kerala in south India. Results of Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) indicated benzimidazole resistance in all the farms with per cent reduction in fecal egg counts ranging from 16 to 94 per cent. A total of 250 Haemonchus contortus larvae

Amino acid supplementation in cervids is an almost unexplored research area. Lysine (Lys) and Methionine (Met) are the two amino acids considered as limiting for ruminants and Lys supplementation shows good potential for increased antler growth as it is the main component of collagen and a bone tissue precursor. However, several studies in other ruminants have shown greater effects when simultaneously

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of prebiotic and peptide on growth performance and blood parameters in suckling Zell lambs. Seventy-two male suckling Zell lambs 10 days old (4.2 ± 0.43 kg) were used in a factorial design with 6 treatments including 3 levels of prebiotic supplement (0,0 1.5 and 3.0 g) and 2 levels of peptide supplement (0.0 and 2.0 g). The

Domestic sheep were introduced in Mexico by the Spanish settlers in the 16th century. Nowadays, Mexico hosts several sheep breeds, adapting and evolving in both farming and traditional livestock production systems and different climate conditions. Research on the diversity of ovine genetic resources is urgently needed to prevent and reverse genetic erosion. Despite the relevance of Mexican sheep, data

Santa Inês is a locally adapted hair sheep breed that is under large expansion in Brazil and other Tropical countries. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different relationship matrices (A or H) on the estimation of genetic parameters and accuracy of (genomic) breeding values [(G)EBVs] for carcass traits measured in vivo in Santa Inês sheep. A total of 977, 890, 894, and 882 records for loin

The effect of the slaughter at arrival (L0) or after 12 (L12), and 24 (L24) h of lairage on carcass traits, meat quality and sensory attributes of Mehraban fat-tailed lambs has been studied. The results showed that carcasses from L12 and L24 lambs had a better rate of pH decline than those from L0. Longissimus muscle from L0 lambs had the lowest WHC, cooking loss, tenderness, a*, b* and Chroma values

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of enriched-chromium yeast (YCr) on growth performance, carcass characteristics and Longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) composition of finishing lambs. Fourteen Rambouillet lambs (23.3 ± 2.9 kg BW) were assigned to two treatments in a completely randomized design with 7 lambs per treatment: (i) Basal diet (control), (ii) YCr (Basal diet+0.3 mg

In Mexico, since 2010 the Asociación Mexicana de Criadores de Ganado Caprino de Registro has been undertaking annual national genetic evaluations for the Boer and Nubian goat breeds. Mexican pedigree goat farmers are concerned with maintaining a reasonable high genetic diversity and a low level of inbreeding without loss of genetic gain. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity and to describe

This study aimed to investigate the effect of a novel oral somatostatin-14 (SS-14) DNA vaccine fused to tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) signal peptide and CpG adjuvant on goat lactation and milk composition. Ten female goats with two newborn kids each were randomly divided into the immunized group and negative control group; The novel oral somatostatin (SS) DNA vaccine (fused to tPA signal peptide

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different doses of narasin on dry matter intake (DMI), milk production and composition in ewes and also on growth performance of their lambs. Forty crossbred lactating ewes Dorper vs. Santa Inês (54.4 ± 1.7 kg of initial BW; mean ± SD) were penned individually with their lambs and used in a randomized complete block design with 10 blocks

Verata goat is an endangered autochthonous breed from Extremadura (Spain). Genetic diversity, genetic Bottleneck hypothesis and population genetic structure were analysed for conservation management purposes. Twenty-two microsatellite markers were used to genotype 570 animals belonging eight different sampling regions. Average number of alleles per locus (9.09 ± 0.71) and the expected gene diversity

Brazilian Goats have double hair coat composed of two fibres, coarse guard hair and fibre fine. The objective was to characterize the fibres and check if the fine fibre meets the standards for cashmere. We collected samples in Saanen, Alpine and Crossbreed goats. The analysis in scanning electron microscopy revealed that these individuals had fibre fine with an average diameter of 10.63 μm and coefficient

The aim of this article is to review factors associated with machine milking that would increase mastitis incidence risk and the effects of milking machine, milking management and routine in sheep. Machine milking settings that increase vacuum fluctuations under the teat or teat thickness and help to disseminate infectious agents would increase the risk of intramammary infection. Vacuum fluctuations

A study was conducted to determine tangible and intangible benefits of local goats to smallholders in low input crop-livestock production system where community-based goat breeding program (goat CBBP) is being implemented. Data was collected through a 12-month flock and household (137 households) monitoring study between August 2017 to July 2018. Data collected was analyzed using enterprise budgeting

This study compared the growth performance and carcass characteristics of Lori-Bakhtiari lambs with three types of fat tail. Thirty lambs were divided into three groups according to the size of their fat tail: big (BF), medium (MF), and small (SF) fat tail. The weaned lambs were finished over 100 days, and their average daily gain (ADG) and feed intake (FI) were measured, and the feed conversion ratio

Goats are adaptable to varied farming environments and contribute significantly towards sustainable livestock production and food security. Selective breeding of goats for improved performance is an important component of sustainable production. The objectives of the present study were to determine the most appropriate models of analysis for growth traits, to estimate genetic parameters, survival potential

The Jamunapari goats are reared as dairy animals in semi-arid conditions, therefore it is necessary to evaluate the genetic potential for the genetic improvement of milk production traits. The data comprised of 2217 phenotypic records for milk yield at 90 days (MY90) and 140 days (MY140), total milk yield (TMY) and lactation length (LL) obtained from the progeny of 173 sires and 446 dams during the

A longitudinal study was conducted in low-input low-output farming systems to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in different age groups, sex and associated risk factors in goats. A total of 580 indigenous goats were randomly selected in areas representing the five agro-ecological regions of Zimbabwe in the dry and wet seasons. Blood and faecal samples were collected

PPR is an important infectious viral disease of domestic and wild small ruminants, that threatens the food security and sustainable livelihood of farmers across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Europe is free of the disease except in Thrace (European part of Turkey) and Israel where outbreaks occur. Following the successful eradication of RPV, PPR has been targeted by the OIE and FAO as the next viral

Previous work showed that the Texel muscling QTL (TM-QTL) results in pronounced hypertrophy in the loin muscle, with the largest phenotypic effects observed in lambs inheriting a single copy of the allele from the sire. As the loin runs parallel to the spinal vertebrae, and the development of muscle and bone are closely linked, the primary aim of this study was to investigate if there were any subsequent

Milk oligosaccharides (OS)-free complex carbohydrates-confer unique health benefits to the nursing neonate. Though human digestive enzymes cannot degrade these sugars, they provide nourishment to specific commensal microbes and act as decoys to prevent the adhesion of pathogenic micro-organisms to gastrointestinal cells. At present, the limited quantities of human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) impede

Spring rebreeding activity was investigated in 44 multiparous Awassi ewes allocated to one of three treatments. The first treatment entailed ewes suckling lambs for 45 days and then continuously exposed to fertile rams (Group 1); ewes of the second group were weaned at 14 days of age and then were either exposed continuously (Group 2) or intermittently (Group 3) to rams. Time of weaning and type of

Based on lectin histochemical methods, this study describes the production and distribution of various terminal sugars in the integument of Merino sheep and Angora goats. Additionally, pH measurements were performed for information about environmental conditions of microbes on the skin surface and in the fleece. The results demonstrated strongly positive reactions for alpha-L-fucose in the stratum

Growth performance of 168 Awassi (A), Morkaraman (M), Tushin (T) purebred lambs and their crosses AxM, MxT, AxM and TxM reared under semi-intensive management in Turkey were evaluated. The lambs grazed on pasture for 84 days and were provided with a concentrate diet (1.5-2.0% of their live weight). Birth weight and average daily weight gain during the pre-grazing period for M, A, T, MxT, AxM and TxM

Data on 298 lambs from 161 ewes of the Barbados Blackbelly breed from 1982 to 1985 at the Blenheim Sheep Station in Tobago were studied to determine the influence of lambing season-year, sex and type of birth on body weights of lambs at birth, at 56 days (weaning) and 6 months of age, preweaning daily gain and mortality. The effect of the lambing season-year on litter size (total number of lambs born

The present preliminary study attempts to establish associations between milk production traits and genetic polymorphisms at the GH gene in the Algarvia goat. The DNA of 108 goats of the indigenous Portuguese Algarvia breed was evaluated. Single-strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCP) were identified at the five exons of the goat growth hormone (gGH) gene. Two conformational patterns were found in

Two groups of 20 early-lactating Comisana ewes were used in this study, and were allocated to either an indoor or outdoor daytime environment. The indoor environment was a 3mx12m straw bedded pen inside a pre-fabricated building. The outdoor environment was a 200m(2) paddock during daytime (09.00-19.00h) with ewes being moved to the shed, as described for the indoor treatment, at night. Behavior of

The present study has investigated the efficiency of 0.9% saline solution and Braun-Collins solution in the preservation of sheep preantral follicles in situ, at different temperatures and different incubation periods. The ovaries were divided into 19 fragments for each animal. One ovarian fragment was taken randomly and immediately fixed for histology (control-time zero). The other 18 ovarian fragments

Six growing female Nubian goats (average BW=34.8+/-0.55kg, 7-8 months of age) were randomly assigned to either a basal diet (BD, 10-15ppm Cu/DM), or to medium Cu (MC, BD+50mgCu), or to high Cu (HC, BD+100mgCu) diets for 9 weeks. This level would cause Cu toxicity in sheep, but none occurred in the goats. Therefore, Cu supplementation was then increased to 150 and 300mg per head per day, for the following

Alpine yearling doelings (22; 44+/-1.0kg) and mature does (25; 59+/-1.7kg) were used in an experiment with 16 weeks in late lactation, 8-13 weeks dry and 12 weeks in the subsequent lactation. Diets of 20, 35, 50 or 65% concentrate and 2.18, 2.34, 2.49 and 2.62Mcal/kg ME, respectively (20C, 35C, 50C and 65C treatments, respectively), were consumed ad libitum in late lactation, with a 35% concentrate

Two sets of 40 dairy goat Alpine kids (3-9 days of age) were used to determine effects of group versus individual pens, preweaning access to forage and different milk feeding restriction regimens on preweaning and early postweaning growth. Treatments in the first experiment were: C1: individual pens; C2: two kids per pen; P: group pen; and PF: P plus free access to alfalfa hay. Treatment did not affect

The number and size of ruminal papillae, reticular cells and omasal laminae in free-living game deer (red deer, fallow deer, roe deer and mouflon) were examined. Mucosal membrane (MM) specimens were collected from the forestomachs of hunted deer. These parameters were assessed as related to the grazing environment, sex and age of animals. The number and size of ruminal papillae corresponded the best

Fleece characteristics have economic significance in sheep. When assessing fiber characteristics, the importance of sex, age of sheep and the body location of the sample taken are important considerations. Triplicate fleece samples were obtained from the shoulder, right mid-side and hip of 12 male and 17 female lambs (6-10 months), 62 yearling ewes (14-20 months) and 235 mature ewes (28-84 months)

A field study was conducted to observe the standing orientation and behaviour among a group of meat type goats during transit by road. Randomly selected goats were observed from 10 runs (10 goats per run) carried out on the same road and the duration of each run was about 50min. Two observers stood on the deck of the truck and each noted the ongoing activities of five animals. The most frequent standing

The prophylactic effect of parentral administration of a single dose of Vitamin E-selenium preparation given to pregnant ewes during the last third of pregnancy for protection against nutritional muscular dystrophy (NMD) in their lambs was studied. Based on determination of serum muscle-specific enzymes in the lambs, it was found that administration of Vitamin E-selenium preparation to pregnant ewes

The objective of this study was to determine the concentration of Selenium (Se) in soils, forages and the tissues of kids and does under extensive grazing conditions in two regions of the Tlaxcala state, Mexico (Carrillo Puerto and Ixtenco) in the dry and rainy season. There were no differences in the concentration of Se in soil (0.051 and 0.047ppm), pH of the soil (6.1 and 5.9), concentration of Se

The causes of mortality in kids under extensive conditions in the Mexico plateau were studied. Perinatal mortality of kids (0-7 days) was lower (P<0.05) than mortality in the other age groups (8-90 days). The weights of the animals at death were extremely low, group (i) 0-7 days, 2.3kg; (ii) 7-30 days, 2.8kg and (iii) 30-90 days, 4kg. The principal finding at necropsy was white muscle disease (WMD)

The structure and genetic diversity of the Spanish dairy breeds, Churra and Manchega, is analyzed by means of DNA lactotypes observed in alpha(s1)-, alpha(s2)-, beta- and kappa-ovine caseins. The inter-racial distribution of the casein genotypes is also analyzed. The two breeds differ quantitatively as well as qualitatively in their lactotypes. The proportions of unique lactotypes in Churra and Manchega

Goat ovarian preantral follicles were morphologically and ultrastructurally described in this work. Primordial follicles are oocytes surrounded by one layer of squamous or squamous-cuboidal granulosa cells; primary follicles have a single layer of cuboidal granulosa cells, and secondary follicles are oocytes surrounded by two or more layers of cuboidal granulosa cells. At all developmental stages a

To assess the influence of dietary iodine (I) supplementation on nutritional performance and serum thyroid hormones of goats, 12 adult Barbari goats (average weight 18.8kg) were assigned randomly to three dietary treatments. The goats were fed a mustard (Brassica juncea) cake containing concentrate supplement along with either 0mg (control, I(0)), 0.050mg (I(50)), or 0.075mg (I(75)) I per animal per

Solar dried sardines of various qualities were analyzed for nutrient content and for nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance in sheep. Additionally, key serum enzymes and metabolites were examined to identify potential toxic effects. Dried sardine protein, ether extract and crude ash content ranged from 65 to 39%, 5.7 to 5.1%, and 22 to 51%, respectively, for high to low quality dried sardines

The aim of the present work was to study the relationships between lamb growth performance, soft adipose tissue and fatty acid composition of subcutaneous adipose tissue of intensively reared lambs, and to determine if the occurrence of soft fat, and of odd numbered (Odd FA) and methyl-branched-chain fatty acids in subcutaneous adipose tissue was related to plasma concentrations of methylmalonic acid