Effect of Body Condition Score, Treatment Period and Month of the Previous Lambing on the Reproductive Resumption of Melatonin-Treated Sarda Breed Sheep during Spring

Simple Summary Improving reproductive efficiency in sheep farms is a crucial task for researchers. Therefore, the present research considers the conditions commonly found in Sarda sheep farms and evaluates the effects on reproductive activity via the following factors: exogenous melatonin treatment through subcutaneous implants, different periods of melatonin treatment, varying body condition scores (BCS) and the previous lambing of the treated ewes. The results of the present research suggest that melatonin treatment is able to reliably enhance reproductive efficiency. Furthermore, the findings indicate that optimal reproductive efficiency can be achieved by ensuring that melatonin is administered in April to ewes that have a BCS of >2.5 and have passed their third month of lactation. Stakeholders place great emphasis upon rationalizing the management and rearing techniques which are utilized within sheep farms. The present study aimed to investigate factors which may improve the reproductive performance of melatonin-treated Sardinian sheep via a series of three trials. The first trial (n = 100) investigated the effect of melatonin treatment alongside body condition score (BCS), the second trial (n = 150) investigated the effect of treatment alongside the date of treatment (treatment period) and the third trial (n = 150) investigated the effect of treatment alongside the previous lambing of the ewes. The findings indicated that melatonin is an effective tool for anticipating and improving the reproductive activity of in Sarda breed sheep during the springtime. Furthermore, to obtain optional results, melatonin implantation should be conducted in April, in ewes that have a BCS of >2.5 and that have passed their third month of lactation.