Reproductive Performance in Small Ruminants

How does poor reproductive performance impact sheep, goats and deer?

Poor reproductive performance can result in massive financial losses for producers; unfortunately, however, it is challenging to properly identify the associated causes of declining reproductive performance until several months post-breeding season. The ripple effects of poor reproductive management can include early culling of ewes and does, unhealthy or high-risk young animals and an overall decline in operational profitability.

Causes of poor reproductive performance in the dam

• Inadequate nutrition:
  Nutrition plays a critical role in successful reproduction. Addressing the dam’s potential deficiencies and maintaining a proper body condition score (BCS) improves the likelihood of a healthy birth and a more timely breed-back.
• Stress:
  Heat stress can impact fertility rates and lead to early abortions. As such, it is also always important to practice low-stress (i.e., slow and quiet) handling techniques.

Causes of poor reproductive performance in the sire

• Poor semen quality:
  Bulls that are underconditioned or sick will experience diminishing semen quality and viability.
• Health concerns:
  Injury and disease can affect the buck’s libido or ability to breed. Heat stress can also impact fertility rates, which makes practicing low-stress (i.e., slow and quiet) handling techniques highly important.
• Insufficient sire-to-dam ratio:
  Not having enough available males can also negatively impact performance.

3 ways to prevent poor reproductive performance in ewes and does

1. Close the energy gap.
While fetal nutrient requirements may be minimal during early and mid-gestation, from a production standpoint, gestation begins exactly when the dam’s nutrient requirements are the greatest, due to the increased demands of lactation. Managing ewes and does appropriately and adjusting their supplementation levels accordingly will help minimize BCS losses during this period.

2. Maximize their immunity and health.
Post-parturition can be a stressful time as a result of the multiple physiological and nutritional changes taking place during this period. With this in mind, it is highly important to ensure that ewes and does have an optimal immune status, which will allow them to maximize their fertility. Some ewes and does will have a higher risk of uterine infections due to retained placentas and metritis after giving birth — and uterine infections and ovarian problems inevitably influence the fertility of small ruminant animals. Trace minerals, such as selenium, play a key role in maintaining a healthy immune system in the parturition period. Other trace and major minerals also play key roles in ovulation and cycling — and deficiencies of any type can increase the risk of anestrus. Additionally, research has proven that feeding trace minerals in their organic form allows those minerals to be better absorbed, stored and utilized by the animal.

3. Focus on critical nutrients.
Genetic selection happens when the producer is making mating decisions, but you can program the fetus during gestation to help increase the profitability of your genetic investments by providing the ideal growing conditions. For their vital organs to develop properly — and to maximize your young animals’ genetic potential — make sure gestating dams don’t run short of critical nutrients, like macro and trace minerals, vitamins and protein.