[Jacob-list] Re: Wether horns

[Jacobflock at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/10/2004 5:20:34 PM Central Standard Time, 
castlerockjacobs at yahoo.com writes:

> This is the first time I have made wethers and have a
> question about the horns.  Both boys seem to have
> horns that someone has been taking bites out of.  Is
> this because no testosterone?  Is there something
> lacking in their diets?  It is not at the point of the
> horns but rather one third down.  The inside of the
> horns seem dry and you can see the individual fibers
> that the horn is made of???  Do they just have dry and
> flaky horns after losing their manhood?  I thought I
> heard that they would have horns more like ewes but
> not this weak.  One of them is weened and one is just
> about weened.
> 

I suspect the situation you describe is not "weak horns" but "horn sheath 
sloughing" and the cause is probably found associated with an EVENT at about 
2/3rds of the current age of the wether.  You might also look at the fleece for 
weak or broken fleece tips (spinner's "noils") and look at the hoof wall for any 
weakness as other consequences of the event.  Horns, fiber and hoof wall are 
related in structural composition.  They are made of keratin. 

We assume that a neo-nate is born with a balanced system, each gland is 
working and all neo-nates are pretty much the same with regard to its life systems 
and gland hormone production.  But that is not exactly the case.  We often 
think of gland  system as single recpetor/senders which is not true.   Since 
endrocine systems are inter-related, act and react based on gland messages send 
and receive from glands thru-out the system, and these are inherited both 
directly and randomly having controlled and non-controlled genetic factors with 
controlled and non-controlled non-genetic issues.  

The out-put of the pituitary gland include Growth Hormones (bones and 
skeletal structure), Follicle Stimulating Hormones, Thyroid Stimiulating Hormoines, 
Melanocyte (hair/wool pigmentation) Stimulating Hormone, Insulin Growth Factor 
from inputs from other cells and glands ... including the gonads.  

Some elements of wethering are related to STRESS and include include age and 
method (band or cut), whether tails were banded at the same time, ear tags 
punched in, parasite load, neo-nate access to the flock and siblings 
(pasture/jug) when turned out with the flock, change in diet, etc.  There are a lot of 
stress factors but stress is an assault on the entire suystem and the entire 
system reacts.  For example, we might think of the adrenal gland (flight vs. 
fight, goose bumps, kidney release, pulse, respiration, muscle tone, etc) and the 
release of epinephrine and nonepinephrine as a stand-alone gland but all the 
other glands and the signal senders and recpetors try to cope.  The pineal gland 
helps control follicle development and of course birthing.  The list goes on 
.... 

... and the ram's gonads come off, the gland that produces androgen and 
estrogen.  Wethering shuts down not only the future ability to fertilize eggs but 
reduces the production of the androgen testosterone; testosterone being the 
steroid that seems to be a major cause of maleness (size, rate of growth, horns 
and fiber).  When the production of testosterone is reduced, other related 
cells and gland systems react to the reduction.

Keratin (the horn, fiber, hoof horn) has a large amount of an amino acid 
called cysteine which are bound together by sulfur in a unique helix (like steel 
cable).  Some may remember this from the Journal article on how sheep fiber is 
produced.  
Testosterone is a major promoter of growth and promotes the growth of bones, 
muscle and keratin.  When testosterone is reduced, the building sites don't 
get the amino acids they need to keep up with the testosterone rich group.  When 
testosterone (or any steroid) is suddenly "turned off", the need for a 
steroid fix for a particular system sends the system haywire. This is especially 
true when ram lambs are going thru a period of rapid growth and development. 

The horn sloughing will probably repair itself and two outcomes are 
possible:the horn will break off at the exposed core or the sheath will reform (like a 
new finger nail) and form a "blunt" tip.  Broken lamb fleece tips can be 
"fixed" by shearing top remove the break.  Hoof horn or wall weakness that does not 
expose the underlying cushion is not, in my opinion, very treatable but keep 
an eye out for hoof weakness if you trim.

Fred Horak





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