Oestrous activity of Egyptian fat-tailed Ossimi ewes raised at different locations

Abstract

SummaryOestrous activity of three flocks of Ossimi, subtropical fat-tailed ewes was detected by teaser rams over a calendar year. The flocks were raised at north Delta, mid-Delta and middle Egypt.The two Delta flocks showed irregularity in percentage of ewes coming into oestrus monthly, with a marked decrease in March, April and May, April being the lowest. On the other hand, the mid-Egypt flock showed consistent oestrous activity throughout the year, with small fluctuations.The three flocks showed month-to-month variation in incidence of oestrus per ewe, with lower activity in the spring months. Neither of the two Delta flocks showed real regular oestrous activity in any month throughout the year, with high ewe variation. Some ewes showed regular activity throughout the year (16–20 cycles), whereas some others showed only 4–7 cycles per year.There were two periods of the year with high frequency of anoestrus. The more intense was March–May while fewer ewes had an anoestrous period in July–August. This was the case in the three flocks but with varying intensity.A period of more than 1 year of detecting oestrus affected oestrous performance of the ewes and should be avoided.