Sexual Behaviour Flashcards
What is considered sexual behaviour?
- Behaviour with a sexual purpose after puberty
- Developed during infancy (play behaviour, social learning)
- Controlled by hormonal cycles
Female hormonal cycles
- FSH, estrogen, LH, progesterone
- Fertile only in a specific period (estrus)
- Receptivity needs to be signalled
Male hormonal cycles
- Testosterone
- Always receptive
Factors affecting sexual behaviours
- Nutrition
- Hormones
- Health
- Social
- Experience
- Environment
- Stockmanship
How nutrition affects sexual behaviours
If too fat or too thin then fitness/survival comes first; reproduction is a luxury
How hormones affects sexual behaviours?
- If abnormal profiles
- presence of males
- ovarian cysts
How health affects sexual behaviours?
Poor health is priority, sexual behaviour is a luxury and won’t be a focus
Check eyes, nose, legs, and hooves for issues
How social aspects affects sexual behaviours?
- Dominance
- territory
- females to males ratio
- group size
- learning experience (larger the group more likely to gain info/experience)
How experience affects sexual behaviours?
- Age
- quantity and quality of previous experience (individual with bad experiences will be less likely to conduct behaviour again)
- serving capacity
- bull libido
- breeding soundness exams
How the environment affects sexual behaviours?
- seasonality- AI has eliminated/reduced seasonality in dairy cows and swine. In horses, goats and sheep it is still hard to induce cycles during seasonal anestrus
- Facilities
- Ex. slippery floors- male tries to mount and slips and falls, then he might not be willing to try again
- Field vs pens
- Space - Temperature
How stockmanship can affect sexual behaviour?
Chronic stress inhibits reproduction
Male sexual behaviour phases
3 phases; all part of the LIBIDO evaluation for breeding individuals
1. Proceptive behaviours
2. Acceptive behaviours
3. Refractory period
Male: proceptive behaviours
- Detection
- Flehmen sign – pheromones
- Investigate genital region, smelling - Courtship
- Physical contact (kicks, headbutts, biting)
- Vocalizations
- Urination
- Salivation - Verification
- Mounting attempts
Male: acceptive behaviours
Mating/coital behaviour (service)
- Mounting and clasping
- Intercourse and ejaculation (Ruminants: 1-3sec, Stallion: 20-60sec, Boar and Dog: 5-30min (50min))
Male: refractory period (2 parts)
A period immediately following ejaculation during which the male is unresponsive to further stimulation
Absolute: right after intercourse; male will not engage at all
Relative: after a few minutes, during which exists the Coolidge effect (change in sexual stimuli, the male exhibits a renewed sexual interest again)
** If a new female is presented every time, then the refractory period is very reduced **
