An epidemiological study of abortions in goats kept in a traditional management system in Northeastern Brazil. A retrospective survey of goat reproductive performance

Abstract

A retrospective survey of goat reproductive performance was carried out in a sample of 1,317 females kept in traditional rearing conditions in a small semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil. The study involved 2,155 kiddings and the analyzis of the abortion problem was made according to retrospectively measured factors such as year of kidding, doe age, kidding order, age at kidding and type of farm. The methodology used appealed to the farmer’s memory. The results showed that abortion was a constant problem in the region (13 %). It affected more frequently young females and mainly at first kidding (20.7 %), irrespectively of age. The year of kidding seemed to influence the abortion rate, but this was probably due to the large climatic variability. Abortion rates varied according to farms, but the difference was not significant. This variability could be explained by the variety of edaphic conditions of the region studied.