Towards a Sustainable Reproduction Management of Dairy Sheep: Glycerol-Based Formulations as Alternative to eCG in Milked Ewes Mated at the End of Anoestrus Period

Abstract

This study investigated whether the administration of equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) in a protocol to induce and synchronize ovulations before mating could be replaced by the administration of glycerol-based formulations in milked ewes at the end of their seasonal anoestrus. Forty-eight late-lactation dairy ewes of the Sarda breed were synchronized using sponges impregnated with progestogen and then joined with fertile rams (day (D) 0, ram introduction). From D−4 to D−1, the ewes received by gavage either 100 mL of a glucogenic mixture (70% glycerol, 20% propylene glycol and 10% water; GLU group; n = 24) or 100 mL of water (GON group; n = 24) twice daily. Moreover, on the day of sponge withdrawal (D−1), GON ewes received 200 IU of eCG. There were no differences in reproductive performances between groups. GLU ewes showed higher glycemia (p < 0.001), insulinemia (p < 0.05), plasma glycerol (p < 0.001), triglycerides (p < 0.001) and lower cholesterol (p < 0.001), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA; p < 0.05) and urea (p < 0.001). Plasma osmolality was higher in GLU but only 4 h after dosing (p < 0.001). Milk yield and milk composition were not affected by the treatments with exception of milk glycerol (p < 0.001) and milk urea (p < 0.001), which were higher and lower in GLU than GON ewes, respectively. In conclusion, the administration of the glucogenic mixture to late lactation dairy ewes at the end of anoestrus period resulted in reproductive responses as good as the ones obtained by the eCG treatment, suggesting that the objective of a sustainable reproductive management of dairy sheep can be successfully pursued.