672 How much does a ram lose during the breeding season? Assessment of pre- and postbreeding reproductive traits of rams in a range flock in the Pacific Northwest

Stotts, M. J.; Corpron, McKenzie; Moffitt, N. R.; Mutch, J. L.; Smith, Sarah M.; Busboom, J. R.; Benson, Mikayla; Maquivar, M

doi:10.2527/asasann.2017.672

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…In addition, the time spent on sexual behaviors to find a suitable ewe and mate reduces the amount of time available for feeding [ 58 ]. Many rams will lose between 10–15% of their body weight during a 45 day breeding period, and the loss can be greater if nutritional conditions are limited or they have large/difficult terrains to cover [ 59 ].…”

Section: Ram and Ram Lamb Nutritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive Management of Rams and Ram Lambs during the Pre-Breeding Season in US Sheep Farms

Maquivar

Smith

Busboom

2021

Animals

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In sheep farms, achieving economic and productive efficiency and sustainability goals is directly related with the reproductive management of the animals. Genetically, the male contribution to the offspring is 50%, but in practical terms, there is a greater potential impact of the ram on reproductive results, because one male has the potential to affect a large group of females and therefore greatly affects the entire flock. Unfortunately, the selection of males for breeding in the US sheep industry has been traditionally conducted based on phenotypical traits, without a genetic/reproductive evaluation, and/or health assessment or records. Therefore, it is important to establish integrative management practices to select the rams and ram lambs to be used in the breeding season. Among these practices are genomic testing, a comprehensive breeding soundness evaluation and assessment of health status and records of the males before the breeding season, to detect and correct potential issues.

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Section: Ram and Ram Lamb Nutritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive Management of Rams and Ram Lambs during the Pre-Breeding Season in US Sheep Farms

Maquivar

Smith

Busboom

2021

Animals

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Divergent planes of nutrition in mature rams influences body composition, hormone and metabolite concentrations, and offspring birth measurements, but not semen characteristics or offspring growth

Bochantin-Winders,

Baumgaertner,

Hurlbert

et al. 2024

Journal of Animal Science

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Objectives of this experiment were to characterize the effects of ram plane of nutrition on body composition, concentrations of hormones and metabolites, sperm characteristics, and offspring outcomes. Mature Rambouillet rams (n = 24, BW = 82.9 ± 2.63 kg) were individually housed and randomly assigned to either a positive (POS; n = 8), maintenance (MAINT; n = 8), or negative (NEG; n = 8) plane of nutrition for an 84-day feeding period. Rams were fed a common diet, with daily feed allocations adjusted weekly based on body weight (BW) to achieve the targeted weight gain or loss (approximately 12% of initial BW). On 0, 28, 56, and 84-d, body condition score (BCS) and scrotal circumference (SC) were recorded, and blood and semen were collected. Following the feeding period, rams were placed in pens with 10 ewes each for a 28-d breeding period. Ewes were managed similarly throughout gestation and body weight and measurements were recorded at birth and weaning. Data were analyzed as repeated measures in time where appropriate with the Mixed procedure of SAS, and individual ram was the experimental unit for all analysis. Ram BW was influenced by a treatment × day interaction (P < 0.001), with POS (0.12 ± 0.01 kg) having greater daily weight change than MAINT (0.1 ± 0.01 kg), which was greater than NEG (-0.12 ± 0.01 kg). Ram BCS and SC were influenced by treatment × day interactions (P ≤ 0.01), being similar on d 0 but POS being greater than NEG by d 56. Concentrations of triiodothyronine (T3) and T3:T4 ratio exhibited treatment × day interactions (P ≤ 0.02), as POS had greater values than NEG by d 84 (P ≤ 0.02). Concentration of insulin-like growth factor-1 was greater in POS than MAINT and NEG (P ≤ 0.02), and non-esterified fatty acids and thyroxine (T4) were influenced by a day effect (P ≤ 0.01), but testosterone was unaffected (P ≥ 0.09). Minimal differences in semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, or morphology were observed among treatments (P ≥ 0.31). A similar proportion of ewes bred by rams in the respective treatments lambed and weaned lambs (P ≥ 0.54). Birth weight, chest circumference, and shoulder-hip length were greater (P ≤ 0.05) in NEG lambs compared with POS and MAINT; however, no differences were detected in weaning weight and weaning body measurements (P ≥ 0.40). Findings suggest paternal nutrition during the period of sperm development may influence offspring outcomes, potentially as a result of in utero programming of paternal origin.

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672 How much does a ram lose during the breeding season? Assessment of pre- and postbreeding reproductive traits of rams in a range flock in the Pacific Northwest

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Reproductive Management of Rams and Ram Lambs during the Pre-Breeding Season in US Sheep Farms

Reproductive Management of Rams and Ram Lambs during the Pre-Breeding Season in US Sheep Farms

Divergent planes of nutrition in mature rams influences body composition, hormone and metabolite concentrations, and offspring birth measurements, but not semen characteristics or offspring growth

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