Voluntary intake, testes development and antler growth patterns
of male red deer under a manipulated photoperiod
J.M. Suttie, I.D. Corson, P.F. Fennessy
Invermay Agricultural Centre, Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries, Mosgiel
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.
1984, 44: 167-170
Six young red deer stags were placed on a photoperiod of 5
alternating periods of 2 months of 16 hours light: 8 hours dark each day
(16 L:8 D) followed by 2 months of 8 L:16 D for 20 months. Food
intake, whether the antlers were present, and if present, whether
growing, cleaning or hard and testis diameter were recorded. Each stag
showed 5 peaks and 5 troughs of food intake in response to the
manipulated photoperiod. There were 4 cycles of gonadal development and
regression as the testes did not descend from the inguinal canal during
Period 1; testes grew in short day periods and diminished in size in
long day periods. There were 4 cycles of antler growth and casting;
antler cleaning occurred on short days and casting on long days. Male
red deer are capable of responding to a square wave daylength pattern as
a sinusoidal pattern.
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
Red deer; square wave pattern; photoperiod; antler; food intake;
testis
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Last Updated 03-05-1997
