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Sexual Performance Levels of Rams (Ovis Aries) as Affected by Social Experiences during Rearing^1,2,

West Virginia University, Morgantown 26506⁴

Abstract

The object of this study was to determine if the amount of social experiences with other males during rearing was responsible for the adult ram behavioral deficiency of failure to mate estrous ewes. At approximately six days of age, two groups of four lambs each were established (contact-permitted); seven other lambs were physically separated from each other (contact-deprived), but visual, auditory and olfactory communication could occur. Social behaviors were observed and recorded during five time periods (each totaling 42 to 44 hr) throughout the course of the experiment. Beginning at 43 weeks, each ram (now sexually mature) was exposed to an estrous ewe during four separate 15-min periods. During the exposures to estrous ewes, four of the eight contact-permitted rams (two from each group) showed little interest in the ewes (three of the rams did not make any mounting attempts); they were labeled low-response rams. The other four contact-permitted rams and all seven contact-deprived rams exhibited normal levels of sexual performance; they repeatedly tried to mount ewes. As juveniles in the all-male group rearing environments, rams that eventually proved to exhibit low-response sexual behavior engaged in significantly more activities that are normally associated with adult sexual behavior (sex-like behavior), than did those rams that eventually showed normal sexual behavior. It was concluded that the occurrence of low-response sexual behavior in the domestic ram is related to experiential factors.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director of the West Virginia Agr. Exp. Sta. as Scientific Paper No. 1492.

² The authors express their appreciation to S. H. Zenchak for her participation in the research, and to Dr. M. W. Schein for his assistance in the interpretation of the results.

³ Present address: Biology Dept., North Central College, Naperville, IL 60540.

⁴ Division of Animal and Veterinary Sciences.

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