ESTRUS INDUCTION IN DAIRY SHEEP DURING THE ANESTROUS PERIOD

The aim of the research was to investigate the possibility of estrus induction in dairy sheep during the anestrous period using various hormonal preparations and finding out the effectiveness of this biotechnological method. Experiments on the estrus induction were conducted in the Nikolaev M.I. peasant farm of Krymsky region, Krasnodar Krai. The object of the research was lactating and dry sheep of the dairy breed "Lacaune" with a total number of 332 heads between the ages of 2.5 and 5 years. It is shown that in the anestrous season (from February to August) in the climatic conditions of the Krasnodar Krai with sufficiently high effectiveness (54.3-63.2%), it is possible to induce estrus in the Lacaune dairy sheep breed. In this case, the object of stimulating estrus can be both lactating and dry females. High fertility (75.0%) in sheep with induced estrus was established in the summer period. In the winter and spring seasons, this figure was 69.3% and 60.7%, respectively. The greatest effectiveness of estrus induction was established during hormonal stimulation of sheep during the summer period when the largest number of lambs (0.71) per one ewe was received. In the spring and winter seasons, this indicator was 0.37 and 0.58, respectively. Effective technology of hormonal estrus induction in the unsexual season allows for the planned reproduction of dairy sheep throughout the year for year-round rhythmic milk production.