Mating preferences of Saint Croix rams to related or unrelated ewes

Fifty mating tests were performed comparing the mating preferences of Saint Croix rams to unrelated ewes or their daughters. In each test, two ewes were induced into oestrus and restrained by the use of portable metal stanchions holding the head of the ewes, at equal distances from the point of entrance of 10 rams. The rams were individually tested with an unrelated ewe and his daughters as mating options in each test. No difference in mating preference was found in the choices that rams made regarding firstly the approach to the ewe, the number of approaches to each ewe, and the ewes mated. It was concluded that in Saint Croix rams, genetic relatedness did not influence the choice of mating partner.