Ultrasound Scanning as a Technique in Pregnancy Diagnosis of Saanen Breed at UniSZA Dairy Goat Farm

Ultrasonography is not only commonly used in human but also is a useful tool for diagnosis of pregnancy in livestock species, including goats. It was improved with the advent of real-time B-mode (brightness mode) imaging. This tool was used more frequently in sheep compared with goats. The present study was conducted to use B-mode transabdominal probes development of goat pregnancy scanning protocol in UniSZA Dairy Goat Farm (UDGF). Ultra-structure images at different stages of pregnancy and the earliest possible diagnosis of pregnant does were determined. The results of this study showed the following structures: embryonic sacs (days 28-48), foetal (days 28-52), foetal head (days 56-144) and placentome (days 40-146). Single and twin foetuses were differentiated after 56 days of estimated pregnancy. The efficacy of this project was determined based on the frequency of occurrence of the ultra-structures that have been observed. Ultra-structures detected by ultrasound scanner have been identified as indicators for foetal twinning and as a predictor to differentiate stages of pregnancy. In a nutshell, the data of ultra-structures were analysed by percentages of whole stages of pregnancy to detect early pregnancy, twinning of foetus as well as detection of pregnancy. The outcomes of this research will be the fundamental scientific information that could be applied practically as an integrated component of goat management practices in the dairy goat industry for income generation and small farmers in the rural areas for their wellbeing and livelihood as well as for food security and safety of this country.

Accuracy of transrectal ultrasonography: In estimating the gestational age of Jamnapari goats

The precise identification of early pregnancy in farm animals especially small ruminants, plays a significant role in the effective reproductive management of the herd. Early pregnancy diagnosis and foetal measurements of Jamnapari does were carried out using a transrectal probe of B-mode real-time ultrasonography, on a weekly basis starting from day 28 to 100 of gestation age. All the scanning results were recorded. The sensitivity (Se) was 60-95% and specificity (Sp) 50-75% at day 56 respectively. However, the relationship between the ultrasonic foetal parameters and gestational age were highly (P<0.01) correlated, although biparietal diameter BPD (0.980) was strongly correlated to gestation age than crown-rump length (CRL) (0.969). In conclusion, the ultrasound early pregnancy diagnosis can be considered a reliable and convenient means for early pregnancy detection. The measurements of CRL and BPD were proven to be an efficient parameters for predicting gestational age in Jamnapari goats

Effect of short-term bee bread on testicular cell development and testosterone level in male Sprague Dawley rats

Bee bread has been widely traditionally used for male fertility enrichment although limited scientific data are available on its effectiveness. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of bee bread on testicular cell development and testosterone level in male Sprague Dawley rats. In this study, 24 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were selected and divided equally into four treatment groups (n = 6/group) which were Control (C: 0 g of bee bread/kg body weight), Treatment 1 (T1: 1 g of bee bread /kg body weight), Treatment 2 (T2: 2 g of bee bread /kg body weight) and Treatment 3 (T3: 3 g of bee bread /kg body weight). The bee bread was administered daily and orally according to the designated treatment groups using oral gavage for 28 days. After 28 days of treatment, rats were euthanised and testicular cell development and testosterone level were measured. Results showed that rats in the T2 group had thicker (P&lt;0.05) seminiferous tubular diameter (STD) than the control group and higher (P&lt;0.05) seminiferous epithelial height (SEH) compared to C and T1 groups. The testosterone level in the T1, T2 and T3 groups was significantly higher (P&lt;0.05) compared to control. In conclusion, this study suggests that supplemented with 2 g of bee bread per kg body weight is likely to give a positive effect by improving testicular cells development and testosterone level in male Sprague Dawley rats

Efficacy of Aquilaria malaccensis aqueous extract supplementation on physical, behavioural assessment and growth performance of adult female Sprague Dawley rats

Aquilaria malaccensis leaves known as Karas leaves are widely used in ethno medicine. Recently, this plant has caught attention among manufacturers on its pharmacological values for human health. As there are limited studies on its toxicology profile, consumption of Aquilaria malaccensis at a higher concentration might have long term significant detrimental concerns that could affect the normal physiology and the growth performance. This study was conducted to evaluate the toxicity effects of supplementing Aquilaria malaccensis aqueous leaves extract as feed on physical, behavioural and growth performance parameters (Body weight gain, feed intake, relative organs weights’ and feed conversion ratio) in female Sprague Dawley rats. This 28-days oral toxicity study allocated twenty four (n=24; n=6 per group) female Sprague Dawley rats to four treatment groups that consist of Control (0 g Aquilaria malaccensis/kg body weight), T1 (1 g of Aquilaria malaccensis /kg body weight), T2 (2 g/ of Aquilaria malaccensis /kg body weight), and T3 (3 g of Aquilaria malaccensis /kg body weight). Results obtained from daily treatment of aqueous extract of Aquilaria malaccensis has shown that the selected dose, T3 dose had significantly decreased the mean of liver weight and increased mean weight of uterus when compared to the control group. Weekly food intake and body weight gains of the rats in all treatment groups (T1, T2, T3) did not vary significantly (p>0.05) when compared to control (C) group in week 1, week 2, week 3 and week 4. In conclusion, this study suggests that the higher daily dose of Aquilaria malaccensis, did not show any delayed toxicological indicators on behavioural, physical and growth parameters within the treatment period. Nevertheless, it is suggested that the usage of Aquilaria malaccensis aqueous extract at higher dose within a longer period should be administered carefully as it could alter the mean of the organs weights

The effect of ewe nutrition during pregnancy on the reproductive system of the offspring : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Human and domestic animal epidemiological studies have shown that the early life intrauterine environment can play a critical role in determining the development of various organs and systems at the cellular level, and the lifetime health status and productive performance of an individual. However, only sparse information exists for sheep, regarding the effects of maternal feeding during pregnancy under New Zealand grazing conditions on offspring growth and reproductive performance. In this thesis, two paradigms were examined; (i) Dam size (heavy vs light; selected based on extreme live weights from a commercial flock) and dam nutrition for a prolonged period in pregnancy (ad libitum vs maintenance; P21-140), and (ii) Dam nutrition during early P21-50 (ad libitum vs maintenance vs sub maintenance) and mid-to-late pregnancy P50-139 (ad libitum vs maintenance) which are to the range of nutritional treatments used by New Zealand farmers. Ad libitum was used to provide unrestricted access to pasture forage, maintenance was to ensure total live weight gain equivalent to the expected conceptus mass and sub maintenance was to achieve a loss in total ewe live weight 0.1 kg/day. The growth and reproductive performance of the offspring during both the pre-natal and post-natal periods were examined. The results from this thesis indicated that it was possible to alter ovarian cell development of the female offspring during fetal and adult life by varying dam size at the time of conception. In male offspring, only minor effects of dam size on fetal testicular cell development were observed. Maternal nutrition during pregnancy altered female offspring fetal ovarian cell development but there was no effect on reproductive performance as an adult. In fetal male offspring, maternal nutrition did not alter testicular cell development, however, minor effects were observed on adult reproductive performance. Overall, there was little effect of both paradigms on male and female offspring lifetime performance. Combined, the results suggest that farmers using similar grazing conditions to the present studies do not need to take into account nutrition of the dam when selecting male or female replacements. Future studies may consider more extreme underfeeding, but this may not be relevant on sheep farming in New Zealand. Further studies are required to further investigate the possible effects of maternal size on lifetime performance of the offspring

Assessment of Semen Characteristics Among Three Phenotypes of Chicken Raised in Akko, Gombe State of Nigeria

In poultry breeding program the success of artificial insemination (AI) is highly influenced by&nbsp; the quality of semen. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the variations in semen characteristics of three phenotypes of chicken of the same specie raised in Akko, Nigeria. A total of 9 cocks from threedifferent phenotypes; Red feathered (n = 3), White feathered (n = 3) and Black feathered (n =3). The semen was evaluated for macroscopic (i.e. semen volume and colour) and microscopic (i.e. sperm concentration, motility and morphology) criteria after being collected by abdominal massage method. There were phenotypes variation (P &gt; 0.05)effects on semen motility, number of live/dead sperm and sperm abnormalities. No differences(P&gt;0.05) were observed on volume, colour, concentration, mass motility and pH of semen. The observed sperm progressive motility was ranged from 90.5 ±1.21% to 95.09±0.82%. The White feathered strain had the highest sperm progressive motility (P&lt;0.05)and highest value for live and normal sperm (93.5±0.63% and 87.90±0.25%), while the black feathered had the least and (92.4±0.73% and 85.5±0.50%) respectively. The Red feathered strain had the highest value for both dead and sperm head defect (9.2±0.33%and 7.0±0.52%). Whilst, the Black feathered strain scored the highest percentage of both sperm tail and neck defects with values ranged from 11.4±0.43%to 14.2±1.08% and 19.4±0.53% to 23.6±0.69%, respectively. This study suggests that there are large variations present in semen characteristics of different phenotypes of cocks; White feathered strain is likely have better semen characteristics compared to Red and Black feathered strains. Therefore, White feathered strain can potentially be used in artificial insemination (AI) for chicken production and improvement