Effect of Maternal Age on Placental Characteristic and Kid Birth Weight

Abstract

Optimum placental development influence fetal growth and may hence postnatal mortality of offspring. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of dam age on placental characteristics and kid birth weight in Saanen goats. The experiment were conducted on 10 youth goat singleton bearing Saanen does (ranging from 10 to 12 mounts of age) and 10 mature singleton bearing Saanen does (ranging from 3 to 4 years of age). Birth weight, kid's sex and placental measurements were recorded within 12 h after parturition. Adolescent doe had significantly lower (P < 0.05) kid birth weight and placental weight than those of mature doe. Also the total number of placental cotyledons dissected from the chorioallantois in mature does were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of adolescent doe. There were positive correlation between kid birth weight and placental weight (0.795; P < 0.01), kid birth weight and total cotyledons number (0.578; P < 0.01) and placental weight and total cotyledons number (0.594; P < 0.01). The results suggest that adolescent dams in the first parity may alter placental characteristics and fetal development resulting in a reduced kid birth weight from singleton gestations.