Types Of Mating And Gestation Period In Farm Animals

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Hi, welcome to this blog on the topic, TYPES OF MATING IN FARM ANIMALS

Table Of Contents

  1. Meaning of mating
  2. Types of mating
  3. Meaning of gestation period
  4. Gestation period and range.
  5. Revision Questions.

See Also

Meaning Of Mating

  • Mating is also called coitus or copulation.
  • Mating is the act in which the penis of the male is inserted into the vaginal of the female, leading to the ejaculation of spermatozoa.
  • Mating in farm animal may lead to fertilization.
  • It is under the influence of hormone.
  • Mating is necessary before farm animals can reproduce sexually.
  • For mating to occur, the female animal must be on heat period.
  • The penis must be erect before mating can occur.
  • It takes place when the male Mounts the female for sexual copulation.
  • It leads to the occurrence of ejaculation of semen containing sperms which is deposited in the vagina.

Types of Mating

(A) Natural Mating: This occurs when a male, after identifying a female on heat period. Will mount on the female for mating the animal.

Examples of Natural Mating are:

  1. Flock Mating: Both the male and female animals are allowed to move together and mate freely.
  2. Pen Mating: Very few number of males are kept together with limited number of females so that they can mate anytime the female animal is on heat period, e.g, four males together with twelve females.
  3. Stud or hand Mating: The males are kept separately to be mated with individual females when on heat period. After mating, the male is taken away.

(b) Artificial Mating: This is called artificial insemination which involves the act of injecting spermatozoa artificially into the vagina of female animal on heat period. The sperms are collected from a male animal with desirable characters. Such spermatozoa are stored at 196° c under liquid nitrogen until it is used.

Advantages of Artificial Insemination

  1. It is cheaper to import sperms than to import the male animal.
  2. Sperms collected can be used to fertilize many female animals of various sizes.
  3. It is more economical as it reduces the cost of feeding and managing male animals.
  4. Sperm (semen) can be used over a long time even after the death of the male animal.

Gestation period in Farm Animals

Gestation period in farm animals includes the following:

  • This is a period between fertilization of an ovum to the birth of The Young ones.
  • It is also the period between conception and birth (i.e, period of pregnancy).
  • Female animals, during this period, do not normally experienced heat period.
  • It is under the control of a hormone-progesterone (pregnancy hormone). Its high secretion prevents further ovulation during pregnancy and maintains pregnancy.
  • It is a period of swelling of the abdomen.
  • It is a period of increase in life weight.
  • The period varies from animal to animal.

Gestation period range

  1. Cow = 283 days
  2. Ewe = 114 days
  3. Sow = 150 days
  4. Doe (Goat) = 151 days
  5. Doe (Rabbit) = 31 days

READ ALSO – Parturition in Farm Animals, Signs and Stages

Revision Questions

  1. What is mating in farm animals?
  2. List and explain the two major types of mating and gestation period
  3. What is gestation period?
  4. Explain natural mating and artificial mating in farm animals
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