COMPORTAMENTO SEXUAL DE BOVINOS MACHOS DA RAÇA NELORE COM DERMATITE DIGITAL

Digital dermatitis may affect fertility, conception rate, pregnancy, and milk production. This study evaluates the behavior of Nelore cattle before and after treatment of digital dermatitis. Three cows in estrus cycles were exposed to 30 bulls. They were 36 months old in the beginning and 48 months old by the end of the experiment and were randomly distributed into two groups of 15 animals each (GI and GII): Group I – animals with digital dermatitis in different degrees of development; Group II – clinically healthy animals (control group). Friedman, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U tests at 5% (p≤0,05) significance level were used to detect the presence or absence of a significant difference between groups. A statistically significant difference was observed between GI and GII in 2007, and GI (2007) and GII (2008). Animals in GI performed 34,43% less, when compared to GII in 2007, and 19,9% less when compared to GII in 2008. In 2008, GI animals still did 10,7% less when compared to GII. We conclude that the sexual behavior of Nelore bulls is influenced by digital dermatitis; however, treatment promotes increase of sexual performance.