Manipulation of estrous cycle in Dwarf goat (Capra hircus) using estrumate under different management conditions

A study was conducted to elucidate the effectiveness of exogenous estrumate (prostaglandin F2α) treatment as a synchronizing agent for Dwarf goats and to establish the progesterone levels at different reproductive stages under two different environmental and nutritional conditions. Female Dwarf goats of various ages were raised, 10 each at two sites, viz. the Bio-Saline Research Substation (BSRS), Lahore and at the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad. The animals at the NIAB farm were reared on non-saline soil under normal grazing conditions, while the other animal lot was raised on salt-affected lands at the BSRS, Lahore and was fed on non-conventional fodders produced by salt-affected lands. The animals received two intramuscular doses (0.5 ml each) of estrumate (125 μg/ml) at 10 days interval. Nineteen of the 20 animals exhibited estrus after 56–72 h of the second injection of estrumate. The mean progesterone concentration in the NIAB and BSRS lots was 2.8 and 2.4 ng/ml, respectively, at the time of second injection and declined to the basal level (estrus) within 48 h. A gradual increase in the progesterone level occurred during the metestrus, reaching maximum during the luteal phase when it was 6.3 and 6.7 ng/ml in NIAB-lot and BSRS-lot, respectively. During the proestrous phase, the progesterone level decreased to the basal level (0.1 ng/ml) at the onset of the next estrus after 22 days. The length of the induced or natural estrous cycle (20 ± 1 days) was not affected by the estrumate treatment, nor by the environmental and nutritional conditions. Breeding was allowed after the natural estrous cycle at the onset of third estrus and a high fertility rate (95%) was achieved. The progesterone concentrations remained at higher level (4.5–9.4 ng/ml) throughout the gestation period, declined gradually in the prepartum period, and dropped to the basal level at the completion of parturition. The results suggested that estrumate is an efficient synchronizing agent for the Dwarf goats kept under different environmental-nutritive conditions and that the progesterone profile is a useful indicator to assess the reproductive status of the goats.