No abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different injection doses of testosterone enanthate (TE) on some carcass traits and meat chemical characteristics of karadi lambs. Twenty-seven male lambs in weaning age and average live weight 28.5±3.4 kg of Karadi breed were allocated randomly by weight into three treatments (six lambs for each treatment), T1 (control) treatment, T2 was treated with 200 mg of TE injection (IM/week) and T3 was treated with 400 mg (IM/week) of it. All animals were feed with unified concentrate diet (table1) once a day (3% of lamb’s weight), ad libitum barley straw was provided and the water for all lambs was free. Each lamb was isolated in a separate pin. Three lambs of each treatment were chosen randomly and weighted then slaughtered humanly at the last of three different rearing periods (60, 90 and 120 days) from the study beginning. Several measurements have been taken such as hot, cold carcass weight, carcass length, carcass thorax circumference, thickness of fat, rib eye area, carcass cuts weight, offal weight, carcass and offal fat weight, longissimus dorsi approximate analysis. Results showed an increase in each: live, carcass, carcass cuts weights, rib eye area, carcass and offal fat, kidney, liver and lunge weight. Also there was a decrease in each: fat thickness, fat tail and testis weight with increased TE injection dose (between 200-400 mg).

The present study is carried out to investigate the reproductive activity of mature Local bull and effect of age’s changes on the testes activity by using Testis Volume Density (VD %) and Relative Weight (RW, g\kg body weight) of Tissue Components. Seventy-two testes of the bull were taken from the Sulaimani slaughterhouse in November 2016. The length and width of the right testis were measured after slaughtering, and testes weights were also taken, then the epididymis carefully dissected. The diameters of testicular seminiferous tubules were also measured. The present study demonstrated a significant increased (p<0.05) in weight (221.5±6.4gm), length (15.00±0.57cm), width (6.33±0.33cm) and testes circumference (19.00±0.01cm) in age 4th-year-old compared to other ages. The diameter of epididymis (p<0.05) increased significantly in 2nd, 3rd and 4th age old for total length and head of epididymis (Caput) compared to 1st-year. The diameter of the seminiferous tubules demonstrated higher (p<0.05) significant in thickness of seminiferous tubules demonstrated higher significance in 4th ages. The increase in spermatogenesis process leads to increase the diameter and thickness of seminiferous. The results showed that the degenerative changes in germ cells are associated with histomorphometric variations, including the density of the structures that comprise the testicular parenchyma, and are they representative in bulls with poor semen quality at an early age. In addition, the unsatisfactory bulls for reproduction showed reduced meiotic potential at 1st-year compared to that of satisfactory reproductive bulls, especially at 3 and 4 years old.

To investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of Ground Flaxseed (GF) on performance and carcass characteristics of Karadi male lambs. Flaxseed was used in feeding period that lasted for 90 days using twelve ram Karadi lambs, at 6 months old, which divided into 3 equal groups (4 rams/group). The lambs were randomly allocated into three treatments to receive either control ration (no Ground flaxseed), or ration containing 4% Ground Flaxseed (T1), or diet containing 8% Ground Flaxseed (T2). All the lambs were received an equal daily allowance of concentrate ration (3% of the body weight). At the end of feeding trial (8 weeks), all the lambs were slaughtered. They were weighed immediately before slaughter to provide slaughter body weight (SBW). Immediately after skinning, evisceration was carried out and the carcass components were weighted. Then several quantity characteristics for carcasses were studied, which include: hot carcass weight (HCW), dressing percentage, thickness of subcutaneous fat, rib eye area, partition and cutting of Carcass. Data were analyzed using XL Stat. The results showed that GF has no significant effect on live body weight, hot carcass weight, and dressing percentage %, it also has no significant differences on some carcass cuts for example: leg, shoulder, loin, rack, fore shank and neck. On the other hand, GF supplementation caused a significant (P<0.01) decrease in Sub-fat thickness which was 3.695 ± 0.629 and 2.375 ± 0.191 in T1 and T2 respectively in comparison to control group 5.015 ± 0.049 mm. Rib eye area increased significantly (P<0.05) in T1 and T2 treatments (12.035±0.205 and 14.145 ± 0.955 respectively) compared to control (10.005 ±1.039 cm 2 ). Some of the carcass cuts, Breast and Flank, decreased significantly (P<0.05) in T2 compared to T1 and Control. In conclusion, GF supplementation significantly decrease breast and flank cuts, while rib eye area significantly increased. However, the decrease in fat thickness may be reflecting the decrease in fat percentages in the carcass that indicates the effect of GF in improvement of carcass traits.

This study was conducted to assess the effect of Equine Chorionic Gonadotrophin (eCG) injection on the doe reproductive and their kits productivity traits of hybrid rabbits. The experiment was carried out at the animal farm, College of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sulaimani, during spring (March to July) of 2018. A total of (48) forty-eight does and (24) twenty-four fertile bucks' rabbits were randomly assigned to a completely randomized design, arrangement of four treatments (12 does/treatment) with allotted into 3 three replicates, which included; control: without injection (T1), positive control: with buffer saline (T2), T3: eCG (10 IU) and T4: eCG (20 IU) injected intramuscularly, and they were housed in a semi-closed rabbitry housing system. Data on the parameters studied were collected on an individual does in each group. The reproductive and productivity traits were measured by the number of weaned rabbits. The results showed that eCG dose (T3 and T4) decreasing in gestation period GP as compared to control groups which were higher significantly (p≤0.05). The kindling rate significantly exceed in injected group T3 when it compared to control groups, and with no significant differences with T4. For litter size (LS) at 7, 21, and 28 days (at weaning) T4 has significant exceed when it compared to control T1 and T2. While significant differences emerged of T4 for live weight at LW7, LW21, and LWW, respectively. And the T3 exceed significantly on the control (66.06±3.46 g/kit) for LW7, the control at LW21 and LWW. In conclusion, using eCG hormone in hybrid rabbits (T3) resulted in increasing doe reproductive and their kits productivity performance during the suckling period and proved to be an efficient way to increase production.