Temperature and rainfall are related to fertility rate after spring artificial insemination in small ruminants

• Published in: International journal of biometeorology 2016-10, Vol.60 (10), p.1603-1609
• Main Authors: Abecia, J. A., Arrébola, F., Macías, A., Laviña, A., González-Casquet, O., Benítez, F., Palacios, C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ambient temperature; Animal Physiology; Animals; Artificial insemination; Biological and Medical Physics; Biophysics; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental Health; Farms; Female; Fertility; Goats; Insemination, Artificial - veterinary; Livestock farming; Meteorology; Original Paper; Plant Physiology; Pregnancy; Rainfall; Rainfall measurement; Relative humidity; Sheep; Solar radiation; Temperature effects; Weather
• ISSN: 0020-7128; 1432-1254
• DOI: 10.1007/s00484-016-1150-y

A total number of 1092 artificial inseminations (AIs) performed from March to May were documented over four consecutive years on 10 Payoya goat farms (36° N) and 19,392 AIs on 102 Rasa Aragonesa sheep farms (41° N) over 10 years. Mean, maximum, and minimum ambient temperatures, mean relative humidity, mean solar radiation, and total rainfall on each insemination day were recorded. Overall, fertility rates were 58 % in goats and 45 % in sheep. The fertility rates of the highest and lowest deciles of each of the meteorological variables indicated that temperature and rainfall had a significant effect on fertility in goats. Specifically, inseminations that were performed when mean (68 %), maximum (68 %), and minimum (66 %) temperatures were in the highest decile, and rainfall was in the lowest decile (59 %), had a significantly ( P