Testicular and epididymal responses to growth variation in prepubertal male peranakan etawah goats

This study evaluated the effect of growth rate on the reproductive characteristics of prepubertal male Peranakan Etawah (PE) goats. Six goats aged 7-8 months were grouped based on body weight into high growth (n = 3) and low growth (n = 3) groups. The parameters observed included testicular and cauda epididymis dimensions, spermatozoa concentration, and morphology. High-growth goats showed greater testicular length (P > 0.05) and significantly wider testicles (P < 0.05) than low-growth goats. However, the relative testicular length to body weight ratio was lower in high-growth goats than in low-growth goats (P < 0.05), whereas the relative testicular width did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). No significant differences were observed in the cauda epididymis dimensions or their relative ratios to body weight (P > 0.05). Although not statistically significant, high-growth goats tended to have higher spermatozoa concentrations and lower total spermatozoa abnormalities. Head abnormalities were slightly higher in high-growth goats, whereas midpiece and tail abnormalities were lower than those in low growth goats. In conclusion, higher growth rates in prepubertal male PE goats are associated with increased testicular size but do not significantly improve spermatozoa quality at this stage of development.