Prolificacy and Its Relationship with Age, Body Weight, Parity, Previous Litter Size and Body Linear Type Traits in Meat-type Goats.

Data on age and body weight at breeding, parity, previous litter size, days open and some descriptive body linear traits from 389 meat-type, prolific Black Bengal goats in Tripura State of India, were collected for 3 and 1/2 years (2007 to 2010) and analyzed using logistic regression model. The objectives of the study were i) to evaluate the effect of age and body weight at breeding, parity, previous litter size and days open on litter size of does; and ii) to investigate if body linear type traits influenced litter size in meat-type, prolific goats. The incidence of 68.

Endocrine markers for identifying prolificacy potential and predicting fetal number in goats.

Identifying prolificacy potential and determination of fetal number during pregnancy for proper care and management of the pregnant goats bearing multiple fetuses and achieving the benefits out of multiple births are essential for sustainable goat farming. Our objectives were (1) to examine prolificacy potential in goats by using pituitary response to gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) challenge test, (2) to investigate hormonal profiles for the prediction of fetal number in pregnant goats and (3) to find out the most reliable timing of blood sampling for discriminating prolificacy trait and differentiating the goats bearing single, twin and triplet fetuses. In first experiment (GnRH challenge test), plasma FSH concentrations were significantly higher (P<0.

Polymorphism of fecundity genes (FecB, FecX, and FecG) in the Indian Bonpala sheep.

The present study was designed for screening polymorphism of known fecundity genes in prolific Indian Bonpala sheep. Employing tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system PCR, 11-point mutations of BMP1B, BMP15, and GDF9 genes of 97 Bonpala ewes were genotyped. The FecB locus of the BMPR1B gene and two loci (G1 and G4) of GDF9 gene were found to be polymorphic.

Polymorphism of BMPR1B, BMP15 and GDF9 fecundity genes in prolific Garole sheep.

Mutation studies in different prolific sheep breeds have shown that the transforming growth factor beta super family ligands viz. the growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9/FecG), bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15/FecX) and associated type I receptors, bone morphogenetic protein receptor (BMPR1B/FecB), are major determinant of ovulation rate and consequent increase in litter size. The Garole sheep is a highly prolific sheep breed of India.