Experience and individual motivation affect the sexual performance of male goats at different times of the year

Karen Ayala-Pereyro^1,2Angelica Terrazas²Francisco R. González-Díaz²Rocío Ibarra-Trujillo²Paolo Cano²Rosalba Soto^2*

• ¹National Autonomous University of Mexico, México City, Mexico
• ²Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlan, Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico

Abstract Introduction: Although there is extensive research on sexual behavior in goats, little is known about the effects caused by individual variations in males. Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate, an individual basis, the sexual behavior in developing male's bucks, during their first year of life throughout three time across the year. Methods: Frequencies and latencies of copulation, recovery period, sniffing, approximation, licking, pawing, flehmen, self-marking, female seeking and fake mounting, were assessed in 6 bucks. With the sum of the standardized frequencies of each behavior a sexual index was constructed, where negative values indicate low sexual performance, contrary to high values. At the beginning of the study males were 10 months old and when the study was over, they were 17 months old. The study was conducted in three stages: Stage 1 (March 3rd to March 25th), Stage 2 (April 8th to April 20th) and Stage 3 (September 21st to October 12th). Each male was tested in the presence of two receptive females, seven times every third day in each stage, for 10 minutes each test. Results: When comparing between males, it was found that male 6 had a longer latency of copulation at stage two (P≤0.01) and showed a similar trend toward longer latency at stage three (P<0.09). When comparing within the same male over time, the latency of copulation in male 5 changed across each stage (P=0.03). At the same time, male 6 showed a tendency to decrease the latency of copulation as the study progressed (P=0.06). Regarding the sexual index, male 3 had the highest sexual index in stage 3 (P≤ 0.02), in contrast, males 5 and 6 had the lowest at almost all stages. Finally, males 1, 2, 3 and 4 improves their sexual index as the study iii advanced (P≤0.01), in contrast males 5 and 6 did not so (P≥ 0.05). Conclusions: In bucks the sexual performance improved by experience, but only in those with high motivation.