Incidence of ovulation before the onset of the rut and during pregnancy in red deer hinds

Abstract

Ovaries were recovered from red deer hinds culled in South West and in 1973–1976 during late pregnancy/early lactation (13 November – 18 December), the non-breeding season (10 January – 23 February), the period just before the onset of the rut (16 March – 11 April), and early pregnancy (13 May – 1 June). The percentage of hinds with a corpus luteum just before the onset of the rut was low (16.3% of adult hinds). An accessory corpus luteum of pregnancy was found in 46.8% of hinds in early pregnancy and in 58.9% in late pregnancy/early lactation (the difference is not significant). The accessory corpus luteum was about half the size of the primary corpus luteum of pregnancy. It appeared that the accessory corpus luteum was formed early in the breeding season, and persisted until parturition.