VARIATIONS IN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR CHARACTERISTICS OF NORDUZ RAM LAMBS BASED ON AGE

The aim of this study was to detect variations in several sexual behaviors of Norduz ram lambs based on age. A total of 32 approximately six-month-old Norduz ram lambs were subject to 13 sexual behavior tests performed at 14-day intervals and an additional test performed one month after the last bi-weekly test, 14 tests a total. Tests consisted of individually exposing lamb rams to 1-3 estrus ewes (stimulus female) for 15-minute periods. The basic statistics for the lip curl response, the anogenital sniffing, the raising of tail, the vocalization, the mount frequency (number of mounts) and the least square mean for mount duration were found to be 1.15±0.07, 4.41±0.18, 0.76±0.07, 8.08±0,44, 10.79±0.52 and 1.34±0.12 minutes, respectively. Findings indicated irregular variations in sexual behaviors of Norduz ram lambs based on age.