Skin follicle development in Cheviot × Dorset Horn cross foetuses

Abstract

SUMMARYSkin samples were used to evaluate the developing skin follicle population of Cheviot × Dorset Horn cross foetuses. The follicle population was studied from the first appearance of skin follicles (55 days' gestation) to the end of gestation. The pattern of development of primary and secondary follicles is described, and compared with the data available for other breeds. The occurrence of secondary follicle branching, previously confirmed only in the Merino, is described, and the ‘prenatal check’, an important feature of follicle development which had not previously been investigated in prenatal studies, is briefly discussed.