Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Sheep breed type effects on plasma thyrotropin, thyroxine and testosterone in growing ram lambs under hot climate

Author(s):

Mona A. Al-Damegh

Recieved Date: 2011-09-09, Accepted Date: 2012-01-06

Abstract:

The lack of knowledge about different physiological responses among indigenous sheep breeds raised in arid hot regions promoted the researcher to monitor a metabolic and a reproductive hormone in male lambs of two common breeds in Saudi Arabia. Forty eight growing male lambs (age; 3-5 months) were grown in a private farm for fattening purpose. The animals were of two known breeds commonly raised in Saudi Arabia, namely Najdi and Noemi. Twenty four Najdi and 24 Noemi lambs were utilized in the study during hot months (June-August). Jugular blood samples were collected for eight consecutive weeks. Plasma was harvested and Thyrotropin (TSH), Thyroxine (T4) and Testosterone (T) were determined. There found significant (P<0.05) increases in TSH, T4 and T in Noemi (1.54 m IU/l, 11.91µg/dl and 6.25 ng/ml, respectively) than in Najdi (1.39 m IU/l, 7.55 µg/dl and 3.38 ng/ml, respectively) lambs. The week to week changes in the levels of the three hormones were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The increases in the three hormones in Noemi males paralleled the concurrent increases in body growth rates (174 vs 139 g/hd/day for Noemi vs Najdi). In conclusion, within a species there exists physiological differences worth to be monitored for managerial purposes.

Keywords:

Breed-type, hot climate, rams lambs, testosterone, thyrotropin, thyroxin

---

Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2012
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
Category: Agriculture
Pages: 530-533

---

Full text for Subscribers

---

Information:

Note to users

The requested document is freely available only to subscribers/registered users with an online subscription to the Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment. If you have set up a personal subscription to this title please enter your user name and password. All abstracts are available for free.

Article purchasing

If you like to purchase this specific document such as article, review or this journal issue, contact us. Specify the title of the article or review, issue, number, volume and date of the publication. Software and compilation, Science & Technology, all rights reserved. Your use of this website details or service is governed by terms of use. Authors are invited to check from time to time news or information.

---

Purchase this Article:   20 Purchase PDF Order Reprints for 15

---

Share this article :