COLLAGEN CHARACTERISTICS OF SKIN, FELL, AND EPIMYSIUM FROM RAMS, WETHERS, AND ZERANOL-IMPLANTED RAM LAMBS

Eighteen spring-born Columbia ram, wether, and zeranol-implanted ram l ambs were examined to determine the influence of castration or zeranol implantation on collagen characteristics of skin, fell, and epimysium and possible relationships between collagen properties of each tissue and difficulty of pelt removal. Pelt removal force was lower in wethe rs than in rams (P < .05) and intermediate for zeranol-implanted rams. Collagen concentration in skin of rams was greater (P < .05) than tha t in wethers or implanted rams, but percentage of heat-soluble collage n in skin was higher in implanted rams. Percentage of type III collage n in skin was highest in rams and lowest in wethers (P < .05); that in the skin of implanted rams was intermediate. The fell of wethers cont ained a higher (P < .05) collagen concentration, higher insoluble coll agen amount, and lower percentage of soluble collagen than that of ram s or implanted rams. The fell had a lower percentage of type III colla gen than that of rams (P < Epimysium collagen concentration of rams we thers was higher (P < .05) than that of implanted rams; however, perce ntage of soluble collagen was higher for the implanted rams than for t he other classes. Type III collagen percentage in the epimysium did no t differ by animal class (P < .05). Zeranol-implanted ram lambs had a higher percentage of soluble collagen in all tissues examined than did nonimplanted rams and force required for pelt removal was reduced in implanted rams. Overall, however, there seem to be few clear relations hips between the characteristics of collagen evaluated and force requi red to remove the pelt when rams and wethers are compared. The composi tion of the fell is different from that of skin and epimysium and a mo re complete description of its characteristics as well as elucidation of putative interactions between the fell and skin or epimysium may se rve to explain differences in difficulty of pelt removal.