Management of Assisted Reproduction in the Palas Merino Sheep Breed

Abstract

Sheep breeding and exploitation have been and remain an important objective, because this species may use in feeding less valuable forages and the requirements for sheltering and care are less expensive as compared to other species. Assisted reproduction, the decreasing of the interval between birth and fecund mating, the deseasonalisation of heat and births as well as the birth acceleration, might successfully contribute to the obtaining of two births per year, three births in two years and finally to the sheep prolificity increasing. The realization of such objectives requires a good knowledge and the valorization of all biological particularities of sheep, by applying modern breeding technologies, amelioration and by the intensification of reproduction function. Merinos of Palas breed detain a reproduction activity easier to control as compared to the other sheep breeds from our country, so that the births can be organized on the entire year depending on market requests. The management of the sheep reproduction and the establishment of proper technologies in decreasing the interval between births, the intensification of the reproduction function in the normal mating season and in counter season are only possible when healthy female sheep are used, well fed based on zootechnical accounts from which results the mount planning on entire year as well as on decades. Considering the obtained results, can prepare, a management program of assisted reproduction might be conceived for the sheep breeders from Romania.