Sexing of Boer goat fetuses using transrectal ultrasonography

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine the ideal period for sexing Boer goat fetuses using transrectal ultrasonography. The objective of Experiment 1 was to diagnose the sex of fetuses based on the final position of the genital tubercle (GT) through a series of daily exams between Days 40 and 60 of pregnancy. The objective of Experiment 2 was to evaluate the accuracy of fetal sexing with a single exam conducted between Days 45 and 60 of pregnancy. The transrectal exams were conducted using a dual-frequency, linear-array transducer (6.0 and 8.0 MHz). In Experiment 1, 61 fetuses were monitored at 24-hour intervals between Days 40 and 60 while 47 fetuses were examined only once between Days 45 and 60 in