Author : Sarah E. Battista
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (122 download)
Book Synopsis Associations Between Morphometric Characteristics of the Reproductive Tract and Fertility in Beef Cattle by : Sarah E. Battista
Download or read book Associations Between Morphometric Characteristics of the Reproductive Tract and Fertility in Beef Cattle written by Sarah E. Battista and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present thesis focuses on the investigation of morphometric characteristics of the female reproductive tract and their association with reproductive performance in beef cattle. Development of the female reproductive tract is governed by a specific hormonal milieu during fetal life, and alterations to said milieu may lead to adverse effects on development and ultimately on reproductive capacity. The objectives of the present thesis were to: 1) determine cattle factors associated with morphometric characteristics of the reproductive tract such as anogenital distance (AGD), ovarian size, vaginal length and antral follicle count; and 2) assess associations between said morphometric characteristics of the reproductive tract and fertility in beef cattle. Suckled beef cows (n = 578) and yearling heifers (n = 178) were submitted to a 5-day CO-Synch protocol for fixed timed artificial insemination (FTAI) followed by a 60-day natural mating period. Anogenital distance (AGD), vaginal length, ovarian size, antral follicle count (AFC), body weight, rump fat thickness (RF), age, estrous expression and postpartum interval (cows only) were determined during the fixed time artificial synchronization treatment. Hip height was determined 28 days after AI and pregnancy diagnosis was performed using ultrasonography 35 and 98 days after AI. Binary data for both studies were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models while continuous variables were analyzed using linear mixed models. Model selection was performed using backwards elimination utilizing a threshold level of P