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 lambs 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 wethers than in rams (P < .05) and intermediate for zeranol-implanted rams. Collagen concentration in skin of rams was greater (P < .05) than that in wethers or implanted rams, but percentage of heat-soluble collagen in skin was higher in implanted rams. Percentage of type III collagen 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 contained a higher (P < .05) collagen concentration, higher insoluble collagen amount, and lower percentage of soluble collagen than that of rams or implanted rams. The fell had a lower percentage of type III collagen than that of rams (P < .05). Epimysium collagen concentration of rams and wethers was higher (P < .05) than that of implanted rams; however, percentage of soluble collagen was higher for the implanted rams than for the other classes. Type III collagen percentage in the epimysium did not differ by animal class (P < .05). Zeranol-implanted ram lambs had a higher percentage of soluble collagen in all tissues examined than did non-implanted rams and force required for pelt removal was reduced in implanted rams.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)