Gross Abnormalities of Testes in Different Breed of Bucks and Rams Slaughtered at Helimex Abattoir Debre Zeit

Getahun Asebe Gulich, Alemzewud Wondimu Shiferaw, Fekadu Regassa

Abstract


2007 to April 2008 at HELIMEX abattoir Debre Zeit. The objectives were to investigate and provide information on testicular abnormalities in goats and sheep and assessing the effect of age and breed on the occurrence of testicular abnormalities. The study involved two species, goat and sheep. Prior to selection the sampling frame (Slaughter flock) was subdivided in to a series of defined subpopulation based on the breed and age (<1 year, 1 year and 2 years). Then a simple random sampling was used for selection of individual animals for all strata. A total of 730 goats and 210 sheep were selected for the study. From the slaughter flock, animals were selected at stratified random sampling based on breed and age, so that four goat breeds, Afar, Arsi-Bale, Boran and Woito-Guji  and two sheep breeds: Adal and Black Head Somali were considered. The study indicated the prevalence of testicular abnormalities in bucks including cryptorchidism, testicular atrophy, orchitis, testicular calcification and haemorrhagic lesions were 3.7%, 11.5%, 1.5%, 3.2% and 1.9% respectively. In rams the prevalence of cryptorchidism, testicular atrophy, orchitis, testicular calcification and haemorrhagic lesions were 1.4%, 13.3%, 5.2%, 4.3% and 1.0% respectively. In bucks, the prevalence of any of these abnormalities was not related to age (P>0.05). However, the prevalence of testicular atrophy, and testicular calcification was related to the breed of goats (P<0.05) that is Boran breeds more affected. woito –Guji being more affected by haemorrhagic lesions. This study indicated that testicular atrophy and cryptorchidism of unknown etiologies dominated genital pathologies in bucks and rams. Initiating investigations to identify the major causes of these abnormalities should be the main consideration in the future.

Keywords: Bucks, Debre-zeit, Gross abnormalities, Rams, Testes


Keywords


Bucks, Debre-zeit, Gross abnormalities, Rams, Testes

Full Text:

PDF

References


Al-Nakib, M.M.S., Lodrge, G.A., and Owen, J.B. (1986). A study of sexual development of ram. J. Anim. Prodn., 43, 459-468.

Arthur, G.H., Noakes, D.E., and Pearson, H. (1998). Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics. 6th ed. Bailliere Tindall, London, UK. pp: 525 – 567.

Devendra, E., and Meclorey, G. (1990). Goat and Sheep production in tropics. Longmont.

Dufour, J.J., Fahmy, M.H., and Minivielle, F. (1998). Seasonal changes in breeding activity, testicular size, and testosterone concentration and seminal characteristics in rams with long or short breeding season. J. Anim. Sci., 58, 416-422.

Fletcher, I., and Zelalem, A. (1991). Small ruminant productivity in the central Ethiopia mixed farming system, Institute of Agricultural Research proceeding, 4th National livestock improvement conference. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Foster, R.A., ladds, P.W., Hattman, D., and Briggs, G.D. (1990). pathology of the reproductive tract of Merino rams in north western Queensland. J. Vet. Australian, 66, 262 – 264.

Fraster, A.F. (1971). Intertility in goats related to testicular atrophy. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 3,173 – 182.

Gatenby, R.M. (1991). sheep. The Tropical Agriculturist, London and Basingstock.

Getenby, R.M. (1995). The Tropical Agriculturalist (Sheep). 2nd ed. Macmillan, London. various management systems: A review. Anim. Reprod. Sci., 20, 265-286.

Gordon, J. (1997). Controlled Reproduction in sheep and goats. CAB. London, pp: 23-32.

Hafez, E.S.E. (1993). Reproduction in farm animals. 6th ed. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia. pp:161 –188.

Hughes, K.L., and Claxton, P.D. (1968). Brucella abortus infection. An elevation of microbiological, Serological and clinical methods of diagnosis in the ram. J. Vet. Australian, 44, 41 – 47.

ILCA. (1993). International livestock center for Africa. A handbook of African livestock statistics, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Knight, T.W. (1973). A study of factors which affect the potential fertility of the ram. Ph.D. thesis, University of the Western Australia. pp: 7-9.

Laing, J.A. (1979). Fertility and Infertility in Domestic Animals. 3rd ed. Bailliere Tindall, London. pp: 52 – 159.

Lee, J.L. (1978). Functional infertility in sheep. Vet. Rec., 102, 232-236.

LMA. (2001). Livestock Marketing Authority, A brief base live information on Ethiopian livestock resources base and its trade. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. pp: 1-9.

Maclaren, A.P.C. (1988). Ram fertility in south west Scotland, British Vet. J., 144, 45-54.

Matos, C.A.P., Thomas, D.Z., Mash, T.G., Waldron, D.F., and Stookey, J.M. (1992). physiology and genetics of testicular size in sheep: A review. Live st. Prod. Sci., 32, 1-30.

Mazouz, A., Toe, F., Lahlou-Kassi, A. and Derquaoui, L. (1990). Selection of rams in sheep breeding management. Small rum. Res. and Dev. in Africa. Proceeding of the first biennial conference of the African small ruminant research network ILRAD, Nairobi.

Morris, C.A. and Cullen, N.G. (1994): A note on generic correlation between pubertal traits of males or females and lifetime pregnancy rate in beef cattle. Live st. Prod. Sci. 39: 291-197.

Morris, C.A., Baker, R.L., and Cullen, N.G. (1992). Genetic correlation between pubertal traits in bull and heifers. Live st. Prod. Sci., 31, 221-234.

NMSA (2005). National Meteorology Service Agency. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Roberts , S.J. (1971). Veterinary obstetrics and genital diseases. 2nd ed. CBS Publishers and distributors. India. pp: 604-725.

Skinner, J.D., vanheerden, J.H.A., and Goris, E.J. (1972). Anote on cryptorchidism in Angora goats. South African J. Anim.Sci., 2, 93 – 95.

Smith, M.C. (1986). Infertility in bucks. In: Amorrowed. Current therapy in theriogenology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of reproductive diseases in small and large animals. W.B.Saunders, Philadelpha. pp: 622 – 623.

Smith, O.B., and Somade, B. (1994). Intraction between nutrition and reproduction in farm animals, 14th International conference on Anim. Repord. January, 17-21, Niamey,

Steele, M. (1996). Goats. The Tropical Agriculturist, London and Basingstocke, Macmillan Education Ltd, ACCT. pp: 79-83.

Tarigan, S., Ladds, P.w., and Foster, R.A. (1990). Genital pathology of feral male goats. J. Vet. Australian, 67, 286 – 290.

Terefe, F.( 2001): Gross abnormalities and normal parameters in genitalia of bucks and rams slaughtered at Debre Zeit HELIMEX abattoir, DVM thesis, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

Willet, E.L. and Ohms, J.I. (1957). measurement of testicular size and its relation to production of spermatozoa in bulls. J. Dairy Sci., 40, 1559-1569.

Wilson, R. T. (1989). Reproductive performance of African indigenous small ruminants under various management systems. A review: Anim. Reprod., Sci., 20: 265-286.


Refbacks



Copyright (c) 2015 The Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resources Sciences

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.