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Can Sex in Farm Animals be Controlled?

Macdonald College, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

The possibility of controlling sex in the breeding of farm animals would be of immense significance in the livestock industry. Many practical breeders and some scientists have maintained that sex is controllable, since, they claim, the sex of any animal is determined in a large measure by one or more factors subject to the control of man. According to certain of these views, sex is determined by metabolic conditions, a katabolic condition being associated with maleness and an anabolic condition being associated with femaleness. Although some of the evidence offered in support of this view is not based upon convincing data, there still remains sufficient evidence to lead many to believe that the view is completely substantiated. On the other hand, there are many others who believe that sex is determined by a specific mechanism involving the presence of one or more sex chromosomes in the cells which take part in reproduction.