Comparative study of oestrus responses in unsynchronized jennies and jennies ® synchronized with single treatment of PGF2á (lutalyse ) in Zaria, Nigeria

This study was carried out to compare oestrus responses in unsynchronized jennies and jennies synchronized using single treatment of PGF2& (Lutalyse®). Eight (8) cycling Jennies aged 3.0±2.0 years were used for this study. The jennies were randomly assigned to 2 groups of 4 jennies each; Group 1 (n=4): Jennies in this group were not treated with any agent; Group 2 (n=4): jennies treated with a single injection of 10mg of Lutalyse® . The synchronized and unsynchronized jennies were observed for behavioural oestrus three times daily (8-10 am, 12-2 pm and 4-8 pm) for two oestrous cycles. The fertility parameters determined in this study were: Oestrus response rate (ORR), Time to onset of oestrus (TOO), Duration of oestrus (DOO) and Intensity of synchronization (IS) within 48 hours. The ORR and IS were expressed in percentages while TOO and DOO were expressed as mean ± SEM. Comparisons between the groups were carried out using T- test. Onset of oestrus in group 1 (2.34±0.32 hours) was lower (P 0.05). In conclusion, single treatment of PGF2a injection did not improve oestrus response rate and intensity of synchronization. However, more than a single treatment of PGF2& injection is recommended for effective oestrus synchronization in jennies.