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The Relationship between Femininity Ratings and Reproductive Performance in Gilts

Texas Agricultural Experiment Station¹

Abstract

FOR many years livestock breeders have given considerable attention to masculinity and femininity in the selection of animals to add to or to retain in their breeding herds and flocks on the contention that animals possessing these somewhat intangible qualities to the highest degree are the best breeders. Likewise, livestock judges have laid great stress upon strong development of masculinity and femininity on the premise that such qualities serve as a good partial index to the breeding worth of the animals.

A review of existing literature reveals many statements that express such views; however, there is apparently a complete absence of controlled data to substantiate or to refute such claims.

Since reproductive data were to become available on 79 gilts in three experiments designed to study the effects of certain nutritional and management factors on reproductive performance, it was decided to assign femininity ratings to these gilts and to study the correlation of these ratings with reproductive performance in an effort to secure controlled data on the relationship between femininity and reproductive performance.

¹ Department of Animal Husbandry, College Station, Texas.