Forced Mating an Efficient Tool in Camel Production to Reduce the Age at Puberty and Calving Interval in Dromedary She-Camel (Camelus dromedarius)

Abstract

A distinctive biological model, the camel, is auspicious livestock in drastic weather conditions. The location of Pakistan is at the hotspot regions where the disasters of environmental changes hit severely. The future hope for food security is a camel particularly for drought-stricken areas of the country, such as Cholistan, Thal, in Punjab, and Thar Deserts in Sindh. Camels have the ability to adapt to the harshest climatic conditions when kept for milk, meat, wool, and hides production. Camel production can be enhanced by reducing the age at puberty and calving interval. The current study was showing the effects of forced mating as a tool in the reduction of age at puberty and calving interval in She-camels. For this purpose, thirteen female camels (3 female young stock –FYS, 10 parturient) belonged to Camel Breeding and Research Station (CBRS) Rakh Mahni Bhakkar Punjab, Pakistan were enrolled in this study. Available rutting male from the same herd were forced the female young stock and parturient She-camels for mating month after parturition. The results showed that age at first service was reduced to 38, 36.5 and 36 months in the three female young stock and the calving interval for multiparous females was reduced up to 698, 690, 688, 624, 458, 440, 418, 406, 390 and 372 days in ten female camels, respectively. The current findings indicate that forced mating could be an effective reproductive management tool to use the available rutting bull in the seasonal breeder She-camels to shorten the age at puberty and calving interval and to get the offspring at desired time.