Sheep are extremely fertile animals, and under appropriate management and nutrition they can achieve high reproductive efficiency. Reproduction is metabolically expensive, and optimal fertility is only attained when females are healthy and maintained on a suitable plane of nutrition before breeding.
Suboptimal reproductive performance should not be attributed solely to either the female or the male. Effective reproductive management evaluates both sexes as well as environmental influences, such as seasonality, photoperiod, and disease control. The purpose of this chapter is to provide practical guidance on female reproductive physiology, estrus detection and control, breeding soundness examinations in rams, semen collection and evaluation, artificial insemination techniques, breeding systems, pregnancy diagnosis, and troubleshooting of reproductive failure.
