Reproductive Failure
Reproductive failure can be defined as either sterility or infertility. Sterility occurs when there is a permanent problem preventing procreation, while infertility, or temporary sterility, is the inability to produce viable young within a specific time period. There are a number of factors that can cause reproductive failure including physiological, toxicological and psychological factors. Please see the links below for specific information on these causes.
Physiological Factors
Toxicological Factors
Psychological Factors
In addition, there are anatomical and inherited causes of reproduction. For instance, females might have incomplete oviducts, malformation of the uteri and blind cervices and vaginas. Without slaughter, these defects are difficult to detect and even though they might demonstrate estrus regularly, they are sterile since the defect results in sperm and egg never meeting.
Another anatomical problem might be in the case of hermaphrodites. They are usually classified as true hermaphrodites or pseudohermaphrodytes. The true hermaphrodite will have both male and female reproductive gonads (ovaries and testis) while a pseudohermaphrodite will have either testis or ovaries, but have other parts representing both male and female.
Cryptorchidism is another condition that might lead to reproductive failure in males. This is a condition where the testes do not pass through the inguinal canal into the scrotom. A male will be fertile in cases where one testis descends (unilateral cryptorchid) or sterile if both do not descend (bilateral cryptorchid). This condition is heritable so bucks displaying either should not be used for breeding.
Injury can also result in significant reproductive failure in both males and females. For instance, a female can be injured during kidding if the fetus is moving around a lot and causes any tears in the uterus. Even though this injury can heal, it might have devastating impacts on future reproduction. A female might also incur additional injury to the uterus, vagina, cervix or vulva during kidding if too much force is used to pull kids during dystocia (difficulty during birth). Injuries to the buck can result from any inflammation in the scrotum as well as injuries that occur during natural mating and collection of semen for artificial insemination (AI).
