Occurrence of Abortion in Different Breeds of Goats Reared under Semi-intensive Farming System at Organized Farms in Semi-arid Region of India

Background: Abortion is a major health problem of animals including goats, which results in significant financial losses for the farmers. The aim of the current study was to determine the occurrence of abortion in different breeds of goats reared under semi-intensive farming system at the organized farms in the semi-arid region of India, and to determine the relationship between the parity, season, and pregnancy stage of the aborted goats with the incidence of abortions. Methods: The data on the caprine abortions was collected and analyzed. The caprine abortions that occurred at the organized farms under a semi-intensive management system were categorized according to the season at the time of abortion, parity and pregnancy stage of the aborted goats. The Chi-Square test and ANOVA methods were used for the statistical analysis of the abortion data. Result: The occurrence of abortion in goats (combined farm) had a significant association with seasons and stages of pregnancy, whereas it was not associated with parities. Barbari, Jakharana and Jamunapari goats individually showed significant differences in abortion rates across various seasons, but did not exhibit significant variation in abortion rates with respect to different stages of pregnancy or parities. In the study, the majority of abortions were found in the winter season, followed by the rainy and summer seasons; similarly, most of the abortions were noticed in the later stage of pregnancy, followed by the mid- and early stages. There was the highest abortion rate in the goats with parity 3 and above, followed by the first and second parities. Further investigation is required to validate the current findings. In conclusion, the study revealed that abortion rates in goats are significantly influenced by seasonal changes and the stages of pregnancy.