PRELIMINARY TRIAL ON THE USE OF BARIUM CHLORIDE FOR PREGNANCY DIAGNOSIS IN GOATS

Abstract

The absence of farm records limits the application of artificial insemination (AI), and risk in hormone administration to synchronize estrus is very high. Although there are available means to detect pregnancy, availability and cost of equipment prevent utilization. Hence, the possible application of a non-invasive technique in pregnancy detection among goats was evaluated. A total of 567 does were subjected to pregnancy diagnosis using urine as test sample and 5% barium chloride (BaCl2) as test solution. Urine samples were collected in the morning using collection bags. Samples with precipitation indicate pregnancy; while those that remain clear show that the doe is dry. The result of the diagnosis using Confusion Matrix shows that BaCl2 is 62% accurate in classifying pregnant and non-pregnant does. Moreover, its specificity is 49% and precision is 48%. This study confirms that BaCl2 can be used for non-invasive pregnancy diagnosis in goat.