follicular turnover and estradiol 17-β (E2) concentration during the estrus cycle in the subtropics was studied in 13 ewes (7 ewes subjected to high energy, HEG and 6 as normal energy group, NEG). After ovulation (day 0), a high-energy diet (10.87MJ ME/kg diet; 130 % of maintenance) was fed to HEG from day 1 to day 4 after ovulation and from day 8 to Day 11 of the cycle (4 days each). The high-energy diet consisted of 850 g concentrate mixture and 150 g alfalfa hay, plus ad libitum access to wheat straw. The NEG was offered as maintenance diet throughout the experiment. Follicular development was ultrasonographically observed every other day while blood samples were collected daily throughout the experiment for the analysis of albumin, globulin, glucose, total cholesterol, urea, triglycerides, total proteins, E2 and progesterone (P4). Mean plasma concentrations of glucose were significantly (P 0.05) higher in the HEG animals than in the NEG ones at almost all days during the treatment period. For ovarian performance, the total number of medium and large follicles that developed on the day prior to the 2nd ovulation in the HEG ewes (3.5±0.17) was significantly higher than that of the NEG (1.87±0.26) ones. Ovulation rate (2.8±1.0) in the HEG animals was significantly higher than that of the NEG counterparts (1.15±0.6). No significant difference was detected in the concentrations of P4 and E2 throughout the experiment between animals of the different groups except for E2 peak concentration on Day 8. The present experiment demonstrated that short-term intermittent nutritional stimulus in cyclic ewes increased the total number of ovulatory follicles and the ovulation rate in association with increasing plasma concentrations of glucose and peak levels of E2.