A note on the induction of ovulation in lactating red deer hinds prior to the breeding season

Abstract

Methods of inducing ovulation 3 weeks prior to the onset of the breeding season were evaluated in lactating adult red deer. Following 11 days of intravaginal progesterone pre treatment, hinds were either untreated (control), or given 300 i.u. PMSG i.m. or 500 mglh GnRH s.c. by osmotic pump. All hinds were laparoscoped 7 days after progesterone withdrawal to record the presence or absence of a corpus luteum on the ovaries, Laparoscopy showed 0113 control, 11113 PMSG and 8/13 GnRH-treated hinds ovulated indicating that during lactation, both methods of inducing ovulation are similarly effective, However, although these treatments induced ovulation, fertility as assessed from calving records, was poor.