TY - JOUR
T1 - Group or individual housing does not reduce socio-sexual and reproductive responses in anestrous goats during the first contact with the photo-stimulated buck
AU - González, Francisco
AU - Sifuentes , Luis
AU - Ulloa-Arvizu , Raul
AU - Palomo Peiro, Maria Jesus
AU - Duarte, Gerardo
AU - Fernández, Ilda
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Herein, we examined the effect of the type of housing (individual vs group housing) of anestrus female goats on plasma cortisol concentrations and socio-sexual behaviors during first contact with photo-stimulated male goats and determined the impact on sexual and reproductive responses after 15 d of contact with photo-stimulated males. Therefore, after weaning, 10 females each were individually and group-housed, respectively. Ten bucks were rendered sexually active by exposure to artificially long days (16 h of light and 8 h of darkness per day) for 2.5 mo. During the naturally increasing photoperiod, 15-mo-old females were exposed and maintained with males. On day 0, during the first contact with males, individually- and group-housed females exhibited similar plasma cortisol concentrations (22.6 vs 27.4 ng/mL, respectively). Likewise, socio-sexual behaviors did not differ between examined groups on day 0. Moreover, the interval from first contact with males to the first estrus, short and normal ovulatory cycles, ovulation, fertility, and prolificacy rates were similar between differently housed females. Furthermore, mounting attempts did not differ between males in contact with either female group. In conclusion, individually- and group-housed anestrus females displayed elevated and similar plasma cortisol concentrations during first contact with photo-stimulated males and similar socio-sexual behaviors and reproductive responses when exposed to photo-stimulated males
AB - Herein, we examined the effect of the type of housing (individual vs group housing) of anestrus female goats on plasma cortisol concentrations and socio-sexual behaviors during first contact with photo-stimulated male goats and determined the impact on sexual and reproductive responses after 15 d of contact with photo-stimulated males. Therefore, after weaning, 10 females each were individually and group-housed, respectively. Ten bucks were rendered sexually active by exposure to artificially long days (16 h of light and 8 h of darkness per day) for 2.5 mo. During the naturally increasing photoperiod, 15-mo-old females were exposed and maintained with males. On day 0, during the first contact with males, individually- and group-housed females exhibited similar plasma cortisol concentrations (22.6 vs 27.4 ng/mL, respectively). Likewise, socio-sexual behaviors did not differ between examined groups on day 0. Moreover, the interval from first contact with males to the first estrus, short and normal ovulatory cycles, ovulation, fertility, and prolificacy rates were similar between differently housed females. Furthermore, mounting attempts did not differ between males in contact with either female group. In conclusion, individually- and group-housed anestrus females displayed elevated and similar plasma cortisol concentrations during first contact with photo-stimulated males and similar socio-sexual behaviors and reproductive responses when exposed to photo-stimulated males
KW - Caprine
KW - Social isolation
KW - Social stress
KW - Seasonality
KW - Photoperiod
KW - Male effect
U2 - 10.1016/j.domaniend.2022.106772
DO - 10.1016/j.domaniend.2022.106772
M3 - Article
C2 - 36368185
SN - 0739-7240
VL - 82
JO - Domestic Animal Endocrinology
JF - Domestic Animal Endocrinology
IS - 106772
M1 - 106772
ER -