Testicular Biometry and its Relationship with Age and Body Weight of Indigenous Bucks (Algeria)

Body weight (BW) and scrotal circumference (SC) were obtained from 50 indigenous bucks (between one and three years old) in the region of El-Tarf (Algeria) to define testicular growth development and their relationship with age. Then, the bucks were slaughtered and the testicles were collected. The testicular sizes (Testicular length (TL), Testicular Diameter (TD) and testicular weight (TW) were measured, the gonadosomatic index (GSI) was calculated. Results revealed that the means of body weight, reaching a value of 28, 53±7.38 kg. These parameters were correlated with one; another and the values were compared with those. The SC was positively correlated with the BW and the TW (r = 0.74, p<0.001), the TL (r=0.56, p<0.001), the TD (r = 0.32, p<0.05). The GSI showed negative correlation with body weight and testicular weight. Results of the present study revealed that SC and TW are the most reliable useful indicator and are an important selection criterion to determine the testicular development and breeding soundness of bucks as it is highly correlated with testicular parameters.