Mortalidade perinatal de ovinos no Semi-Árido da Paraíba.

Abstract

Perinatal mortality is the death of lambs between the 60 day of gestation and 28 days after parturition. This paper reviews the perinatal lamb mortality in different countries and southern Brazil where lamb mortality varies between 15% and 50%. The main causes of perinatal mortality are starvation/hypothermia, dystocia, neonatal infections, abortion, predation, and congenital malformations. The frequency of these causes in different regions are also discussed. Despite the importance of sheep production for the Brazilian northeastern region the frequency of perinatal mortality and its causes are unknown.