Response to hormonal treatment and conception rates of Sahiwal cows subjected to fixed time artificial insemination in pastoral dairy systems

Abstract

This study aimed at determining factors influencing response of Sahiwal cows/heifers to fixed time artificial insemination protocol in pastoral systems in Kenya. Available cows/heifers were inspected for conformity to Sahiwal breed characteristics, parity, body condition score, and subsequently rectal palpation to determine pregnancy status, ovarian structures, and estimated ovarian diameter. Consequently, these animals were injected with 100 µg of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone. On days 7 and 9, only responsive cows/heifers were injected with 500 µg of cloprostenol and 100 µg of gonadorelin Acetate, respectively. On day 10, animals were inseminated and separated from bulls for 45 days and pregnancy diagnosis done after 90 days. Analysis of variance was performed to determine the effects of production system, parity, and ovarian structures on ovary diameters pre- and post-hormonal treatment. Logistic regression was used fitting a logit function to account for the binomial distribution of conception. Overall, 56.2%, 23.1%, and 20.7% of the animals had follicles (F), corpus luteum (CL), and corpus albicans (CA), respectively, at day 0, and 16.6%, 68.6%, and 14.8%, respectively, at day 7. Human and environmental factors had no influence on conception. Among the animal factors, only the ovarian structures at day 7 had a significant effect on conception. Ovaries with CL at this time were about 6 times significantly more likely to conceive than those with F. For higher conception rates, animals with ovaries with CL should be recruited into the FTAI program as they are significantly more likely to conceive than those with other ovarian structures.