Summary. In 1960 the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station flock was used to test the relationship of semen quality and fertility (percentage of ewes lambing) in the ram to fecundity (percentage of lambs born of ewes lambing) in the ewe. The rams were unselected for semen quality and fertility. Six semen traits were significantly correlated with ewe fecundity. The multiple correlation of these six semen traits with fecundity was 0·49. The within age group correlation between fertility and fecundity was 0·23 (P<0·01). The correlation was highest in the mature ewes (0·30, P<0·01). This study suggests that fecundity in addition to fertility may be affected by the ram.
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Hulet et al. (1965) studied this question.