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Objective: Evaluation of using melatonin implant in rams in
non-breeding season on improvement of reproductive
performance in the ewes.
Design: Clinical trial. Animals: one hundered and seventy seven Atabi ewes and
8 Atabi rams.
Procedure: This study carried out in the following stages:
Stage 1: 177 ewes were complete randomly divided in two
groups. Stage 2: Four rams treated with 12 melatonin
implant (each rams received three implant contain 54 mg
melatonin) and another four rams had not any
treatment. Stage 3: After 35 days, four rams which received
melatonin (treatment group) introduced into the herd of 91
ewes .Four rams that had not any treatment (control group)
introduced into herd of 86 ewes. Then, 60 days later rams
were separated from herds and one month later all ewes
examined for pregnancy through ultrasonography.
Statistical Analysis: Results were analyzed by chi- square test.
Results: Fertility, prolificacy and fecundity values in the
treatment group (ewes wich mated with melatonin treated
rams) and control group (ewes which mated with rams
without melatonin treatment) were 87.1%, 103.8%, 9 [.2%
and 88.4%, 102.6%, 90.7%, respectively. Moreover, there
were not significant differences between them.
Conclusion: we concluded that using melatonin implant in
the Atabi rams had not good results on reproductive index
in the ewes. J.Fac.Vet.Med. Univ. Tehran. 61,2:181-
185,2006.