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Scrotal Circumference (scrotal + circumference)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences80%

Selected Abstracts

No Change Detected in Body Weight, Scrotal Circumference, Semen Characteristics and Sexual Behaviour during the Development of Prepubertal Milchschaf Lambs after Weekly Administration of eCG

REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 4 2008
R Ungerfeld
Contents To study the effects of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) on pubertal development, 38 Milchschaf spring born male lambs fathered by the same ram and grazing over native pasture as a single mob during all the experiment were divided into three groups as follows: group 100 (100 IU of eCG weekly i.m., n = 11), group 400 (400 IU of eCG weekly i.m., n = 12) and group 0 (controls, n = 15). Lambs were weighed and scrotal circumference was registered every 2 weeks since birth until 170 days of age (end of experiment). On days 125 and 167 semen was collected using an electroejaculator. Semen volume and concentration, mass and individual sperm motility (scale 0 to 5) and total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate were recorded. The sexual behaviour of the lambs was evaluated twice, on days 127 and 170 in a pen test with oestrous ewes. There were no significant effects of treatment on body weight or scrotal circumference, semen characteristics or sexual behaviour. At least in the administration regimens tested, eCG treatment has no effect on prepubertal reproductive development of male lambs. [source]

Estimates of environmental effects and genetic parameters for body measurements and weight in Brahman cattle raised in Mexico

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS, Issue 4 2002
C. D. U. Magnabosco
Summary A Derivative Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood (DFREML) algorithm was used with single trait and two traits animal models to estimate the variance and covariance components and thus, heritabilities and phenotypic, genetic and environmental correlations among nine different body measurements and weights of Brahman cattle raised in Mexico. The following measurements were considered: hip width, pin width, hip-pin width, anterior height, posterior height, body length, thorax perimeter, scrotal circumference and weight. The analysis was based on a total of 1018 animals, born between 1992 and 1995, from 17 herds in the Mexican States of Chiapas, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Tamaulipas and Veracruz. The model included the following fixed effects: herd, year-season of birth, sex, age of the animal and feed management. The only random effect was the direct additive genetic contribution of each animal. All fixed effects in the model were significant for all traits (p < 0.05). Estimated heritabilities for the traits were: hip width 0.57, pin width 0.32, hip-pin width 0.41, anterior height 0.56, posterior height 0.54, body length 0.32, thorax perimeter 0.49, scrotal circumference 0.02 and weight 0.66. The magnitude of the heritabilities was medium to high, with the exception of scrotal circumference. The genetic correlations among all body measurements were consistently positive and high, ranging from 0.64 to 1.00. Although other measures showed higher genetic correlations with weight, thorax perimeter combines a high value (0.70) with ease and repeatability, making it a useful field measurement to estimate body weight when scales are not available. Resumen Estimados de efectos ambientales y parámetros genéticos para medidas corporales y peso vivo en ganado brahman criado en méjico Fue usado un algoritmo de Máxima Verosimilitud Restricta Libre de Derivadas (DFREML) con modelos animales para una y dos características para estimar componentes de (co)varianzas, heredabilidades y correlaciones fenotípicas, genéticas y ambientales entre nueve diferentes medidas corporales y peso vivo de ganado Brahman criado en México. Fueron considerados los siguientes rasgos: ancho anterior de la grupa, ancho posterior de la grupa, largo de la grupa, altura a la cruz, altura a la grupa, largo del cuerpo, perímetro toráxico, perímetro escrotal y peso vivo. Se usaron datos de 1018 animales, nacidos entre 1992 y 1995, procedentes de 17 rebaños de los Estados mejicanos de Chiapas, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tamaulipas y Veracruz. El modelo matemático incluyó los siguientes efectos fijos: rebaño, año-época de nacimiento, sexo, clase de edad del animal y manejo alimentar. Se consideró el efecto aditivo directo de cada animal como el único efecto aleatorio. Todos los efectos fijos del modelo fueron significativos para todas las características (P < 0.05). Las heredabilidades estimadas fueron: ancho anterior de la grupa 0.57, ancho posterior de la grupa 0.32, largo de la grupa 0.41, altura a la cruz 0.56, altura a la grupa 0.54, largo del cuerpo 0.32, perímetro toráxico 0.49, perímetro escrotal 0.02 y peso vivo 0.66. Las magnitudes de las heredabilidades fueron de medias a altas, con excepción del perímetro escrotal. Las correlaciones genéticas entre todas las medidas corporales fueron consistentemente positivas y altas, variando de 0.64 a 1.00. Aunque otras medidas corporales mostraron altas correlaciones genéticas con el peso vivo, el perímetro toráxico combina un alto valor de esa correlación (0.70) con facilidad de medición y alta repetibilidad, haciendo de esta una medida útil, para estimar el peso vivo, en condiciones de campo donde no se dispone de balanza. [source]

Reproductive Development of Santa Inês Rams During the First Year of Life: Body and Testis Growth, Testosterone Concentrations, Sperm Parameters, Age at Puberty and Seminal Plasma Proteins

REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 4 2010
CEA Souza
Contents We have investigated the reproductive development of the tropically adapted Santa Inês ram, the most common hair sheep in Brazil. From 8 to 48 weeks of age, 16 animals were evaluated for body and testis growth, semen parameters, testosterone concentrations and seminal plasma proteins, using two-dimensional SDS-PAGE. Animals were weaned at 30 days and kept in feedlots thereafter, receiving hay, concentrate (18% of crude protein) and mineral supplement. Body weight increased from 12.3 ± 0.7 to 54.3 ± 1.6 kg between 8 and 48 weeks (p < 0.05), but changes in thoracic perimeter and scrotal circumference were non-significant after 36 weeks (p > 0.05). The percentage of motile sperm increased slowly until 23 weeks and more rapidly after that age, but significant changes in progressive motility occurred after 25 weeks. Presence of abnormal sperm related inversely to age. Most significant changes in sperm concentration occurred between 38 and 44 weeks (0.38 ± 0.05 to 1.14 ± 0.24 × 109 cells/ml, p < 0.05) and testosterone reached its highest concentrations at 42 weeks, decreasing afterwards. Rams reached puberty at 28.2 ± 0.8 weeks. The number of protein spots on seminal plasma gels was similar from 15 to 18 weeks (45 and 47 spots; p > 0.05), increased until 24 weeks (141 spots) and 28 weeks (170 spots; p < 0.05) and remained without significant (p > 0.05) changes from 28 to 48 weeks (186 ± 10 spots). Furthermore, the intensity of selected spots on 2D maps increased (p < 0.05) between 15 and 28 weeks, which preceded or coincided with the main developmental changes in sperm motility and percentage of defective sperm in the ejaculates. These results will support future studies designed to characterize specific seminal plasma proteins whose expression relate to the development of testis, epididymis and accessory sex glands. [source]

No Change Detected in Body Weight, Scrotal Circumference, Semen Characteristics and Sexual Behaviour during the Development of Prepubertal Milchschaf Lambs after Weekly Administration of eCG

REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 4 2008
R Ungerfeld
Contents To study the effects of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) on pubertal development, 38 Milchschaf spring born male lambs fathered by the same ram and grazing over native pasture as a single mob during all the experiment were divided into three groups as follows: group 100 (100 IU of eCG weekly i.m., n = 11), group 400 (400 IU of eCG weekly i.m., n = 12) and group 0 (controls, n = 15). Lambs were weighed and scrotal circumference was registered every 2 weeks since birth until 170 days of age (end of experiment). On days 125 and 167 semen was collected using an electroejaculator. Semen volume and concentration, mass and individual sperm motility (scale 0 to 5) and total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate were recorded. The sexual behaviour of the lambs was evaluated twice, on days 127 and 170 in a pen test with oestrous ewes. There were no significant effects of treatment on body weight or scrotal circumference, semen characteristics or sexual behaviour. At least in the administration regimens tested, eCG treatment has no effect on prepubertal reproductive development of male lambs. [source]

Estimating the Implicit Prices of Beef Cattle Attributes: A Case from Alberta

CANADIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2002
Allan M. Walburger
Pressures on beef producers to provide lean beef of consistent quality have been mounting in recent years. Yet this requires beef breeders to alter and broaden cattle improvement objectives to include carcass merit traits. They need information on heritability and the values associated with genetic traits in order to effectively do this. This study estimates the implicit prices in east-central Alberta, Canada, for bull attributes using a hedonic pricing model. The results indicate that the most important bull attributes to buyers (breeders) in this region are sale weight, birth weight and scrotal circumference. Also important are ribeye area and average daily gain. Selection of these attributes conforms with expectations because they are moderately to highly heritable and are associated with improved fertility and reproduction, reduced production costs and higher returns. In addition, the results suggest that breeders have been changing selection emphasis away from reproduction traits and toward carcass traits associated with improved production efficiency and consumer demand. Depuis quelques années, les producteurs subissent des pressions grandissantes pour fournir du b,uf maigre de qualité uniforme. Ces pressions contraignent les éleveurs à modifier et àélargir leurs objectifs d'hybridation en y incluant les caractères génétiques qui codent les paramètres de la carcasse. Pour y arriver, les éleveurs ont besoin de renseignements sur l'héritabilité et la valeur des caractères en question. Dans cet article, le prix implicite des attributs des taureaux dans le centre-est de l'Alberta est estimé selon un modèle hédoniste. Les attributs les plus importants pour les acheteurs (éleveurs) de la région sont le poids à la vente, le poids à la mise bas et la circonférence du scrotum. Comptent aussi pour beaucoup la surface du faux-filet et le gain quotidien moyen. La sélection de tels attributs est conforme aux prévisions, car il s'agit de caractères très héréditaires qu'on relie à une fertilité accrue et de meilleures aptitudes à la reproduction, done à une réduction des coûts d'élevage et à un rendement plus élevé. Par ailleurs, les résultats de l'analyse laissent croire que les éleveurs ont réorienté leurs programmes de sélection, laissant de côté les aptitudes à la reproduction pour les paramètres de la carcasse associés à un meilleure productivité et à la demande des consommateurs. [source]