Length of postpartum anestrus in goats in subtropical Mexico: effect of season of parturition and duration of nursing

The aim of this study was to determine whether season of birth and length of nursing affected the duration of postpartum anestrus in Creole female goats maintained on a constant plane of nutrition in subtropical Mexico. Three experiments were conducted in the Laguna region in the State of Coahuila, Mexico (26 degrees N). In the first experiment, 34 goats gave birth in January; in the second, 31 females gave birth in May; and in the third, 22 goats kidded in October. At parturition, females were allocated to 1 of 3 groups based on body weight and date of parturition: kids were weaned at 2, 30 or 90 d according to their group. After weaning, females were milked manually once a day until the end of the study. All animals were kept in a shed and were fed alfalfa ad libitum and given 200 g of concentrate daily. Starting 1 wk after parturition, estrous behavior was detected twice daily using an apron-bearing male, and blood samples were obtained twice weekly to determine ovarian activity from the plasma progesterone levels. A strong effect of month of parturition was found on the duration of postpartum anestrus (P < 0.0001), which was longer in females kidding in January (about 200 d) than in those kidding in May (about 100 d) or October (about 50 d). A tendency for an interaction between season of parturition and length of nursing was observed in the length of anovulation (P < 0.07): for parturition in October, anestrus was longer when kids were weaned after 90 d than after 2 or 30 d (P < 0.01). Season of parturition also affected dates of reinitiation of ovulatory and estrous activity (P < 0.001). Proportions of normal, short and long cycles and of associations between estrous and ovulations were not influenced by season of parturition or the age of weaning. These data demonstrate that in subtropical latitudes, season of parturition can dramatically influence the duration of postpartum anestrus independently of the availability of food.