TABLE OF CONTENTS
Factors Influencing Sex Drive (Libido) in Male Animals
Factors influencing sex drive in male animals are varied and interconnected, involving physiological, environmental, and behavioral components.
Sex drive, or libido, is the natural sexual urge that motivates a male to seek and mate with a receptive female.
The male sexual behaviour (sex drive) is affected by the certain factors:
- Individual animal instinct
- Previous sexual experience
- Presence of an opposite sex partner
- Seasonal influence
- Hormonal influence
- Pheromonal influence
- Management
- Nutrition
- Growth
- Genetics
1. Individual Animal Instinct
The sex is an inherent instinct of individual. The animal having pendulous sheath shows longer reaction time. Whereas, the old individual has poor-worst sex libido.
The temperament of individual animals plays a vital role in sexual behaviour. The individual with strong temperament exhibits vigorous response with excellent sex drive. Whereas, the individual with weak temperament exhibits dull response with poor sex drive.
Aged animals and young animals show a marked difference in the sex libido.
2. Previous Sexual Experience
During the first contact with the receptive females the inexperienced young male animals will show hesitation, spend a long time in exploring the genitalia, mount with erection descend and try to mount again.
The efficiency of copulatory capability in males increased by experience.
3. Presence of Opposite Sex
The presence of opposite sex of the same species greatly affects the grading of sex libido, due to her look, vocal sound, physical touch, body/body fluid smell.
The males raised with females before puberty had a greater mating frequency than males raised without females.
The total number of copulations and the sum of all the courting behaviour activities are greater for the boars reared in all and mixed sex groups (social free) than for those raised in social restriction.
4. Seasonal Influence
The change of season affects the sex libido of the male. The comfortable season indicates excellent sex drive while adverse season indicates poor sex libido.
It is observed due to the direct effect of season on the sensibility of the nervous system.
The winter season is pleasant for expression of excellent sex drive by exotic Holstein bulls, due to cold climate.
The seasonal variations in sex-drive of ram, buck and stallion are seasonality of pituitary function controlling the secretion of gonadotrophins. The sex libido is reduced in summer season, due to adverse hot climate.
The rainy season is conducive for expression of sex libido in full intensity among dog. The sex libido is adversely affected with higher ambient temperature.
The sex libido during early morning hour is fully expressed due to lower ambient temperature which is forming a conducive environment for expressing sex libido.
5. Hormonal Influence
The sex hormones activate the central nervous system. The level of testosterone and sensitivity of the brain chiefly affect the grading of sex libido in male.
6. Pheromonal Influence
The pheromone plays a major role in the sexual behaviour of animals. The characteristic odour of vaginal discharge, urine and body of female partner infuse sexual motivation among males.
7. Management
The managerial factor is vital for efficiency of sex libido. The proper management of male livestock depends on its feeding, housing, watering, exercising, washing, bedding, health care, prophylaxis, semen collection technique, semen collection schedule, semen frequency, semen collection time, artificial vaginal preparation and its temperature, pressure and lubrication.
The rearing of breeding male in individual pan is better than the rearing of breeding male in loose field. With the increased frequency of copulation, the sex libido either may decrease or even stop.
The sex drive is improved in the boar when they are allowed exercise.
The change of site for semen collection or the change of animal attendant affects sex libido of the male sex libido.
8. Nutrition
The balanced ration plane is always preferably advised for optimum sex drive of male. Either the low ration plane or the high ration plane show negative trend on sex drive of animal.
9. Growth
Usually the proper body growth is expressing a good sex libido While, the overweight male becomes lazy, dull, experiences pain during copulation and exhibits poor sex libido.
The general body growth also affects indirectly the growth of testes.
The bull having well developed testis show better sexual behaviour. Whereas the bull having relatively ill-developed testes shows poor sexual behaviour.
The testes volume is positively correlated with daily gain and all testis measurements are closely correlated with testosterone concentration.
The growth rate of male livestock during initial age is comparatively more important than during later age of animal life.
10. Genetic
The genetic component of the male livestock affects the sex libido. The breed and strains affect the libido.
The dairy breed are more sexually active than beef breed of the cattle-bull. The Yorkshire breed of boras have better libido than duroc breed of boars.
The cross breeding with exotic animals improves the sex drive of the native animals.
