Abstract
A preliminary study of the postnatal growth and development of the reproductive tract in Yankasa rams was carried out using 15 rams serially slaughtered at approximately 1, 14, 27, 39 and 53 weeks of age. Average daily gain by the rams was 66.8 g day −1 for the entire period. There were high correlations between age, liveweight, and gonadal and accessory sex organ development. Scrotal circumference ( S) was related to testes weight ( T) by the equation T = 0.000886S 3.806 ( r = 0.98). Spermatogenesis had commenced in all rams by 14 weeks. Spermatozoa were present in the testes, epididymides, ductus deferens and ampullae of all rams at 39 weeks, by which age all penile adhesions had completely disappeared. The gonadal sperm/spermatid count per ram averaged 13.9 × 10 9 cells, 17.6 × 10 9 cells and 21.4 × 10 9 cells at 27, 39 and 53 weeks, respectively. Epididymal sperm reserves at the same ages were 1.3 × 10 9, 11.6 × 10 9 and 24.0 × 10 9 spermatozoa, respectively. It is concluded that Yankasa rams can be used for breeding from 39 weeks of age, by which time all component parts of the reproductive tract are fully functional, provided sexual behaviour is also fully functional in the rams.
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