The study was conducted in Atsbiwonberta district, which is found in the eastern zone of the regional government of Tigray, Ethiopia to investigate the possibility of estrus synchronization in the highland sheep. One Kebele was selected as pilot site based on the assumption that there was one ongoing project of community based sheep breed improvement so that it could facilitate the rate of improvement through selection. A total of 150 ewes were screened to identify the final experimental ewes. During the selection process, 50 ewes were rejected due to pregnancy (less than 2 month) with the help of Preg-Tone and some of them were also rejected due to their poor body condition. Finally, 100 ewes from a total of 36 smallholder farmers were synchronized using prostaglandin hormone (Lutalyse). The experimental ewes were injected with a single dose (2.5ml) of Prostaglandin hormone at day five of the observation and non responding ewes (25) during the first injection were subjected to the second injection (2.5 ml/ewes) after 11 days interval. The rate of response in terms of estrus sign during the 1st and 2nd hormone injection was 60% and 36%, respectively. The conception rate during the 1st injection of Prostaglandin was 56% with optimum response in between the age category of 3 PPI and 4 PPI. During the 2nd injection of Prostaglandin, 9 (36%) ewes conceived. Combining the two results, a total of 65(65%) ewes conceived. In general, estrus synchronization of sheep based on Prostaglandin needs proper identification of the experimental ewes.

Keywords: Highland sheep, experimental ewes, estrus synchronization, prostaglandin