The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of residual feed intake (RFI) determined under ad libitum feeding conditions on DMI and performance of yearling ewes fed either chopped or pelleted alfalfa hay. In Exp. 1, 45 ewe-lambs had ad libitum access to a pelleted grower diet for 63 d and individual DMI was determined using an electronic feed delivery system. Residual feed intake...

Hair sheep ewes were used to evaluate the influence of various levels of mating stimuli on the duration and timing of estrus and LH concentrations around estrus. Ewes were treated with PGF2alpha (15 mg, im) 10 d apart. At the time of the second PGF2alpha treatment (Day 0) ewes were placed in groups and exposed to different types of mating stimuli. One group of ewes (n = 16) was exposed to an ep...

A 4-year interdisciplinary study was performed to compare two organically managed sheep production systems, using 118 ewes and 24 ha each. The systems differed in the ewes' reproduction rhythm: one lambing per ewe per year (1L/1Y), with the aim of balancing feed self-sufficiency and lamb marketing periods v. three lambings over 2 years (3L/2Y), with the aim of maximising ewes' productivity. The...

The Dorper is a hardy South African composite breed, derived from a cross between the Black-headed Persian and the Dorset Horn. Dorpers are regarded as early-maturing, and ewes lambed at an age of 1 year in one study. Age at first lambing was higher in other literature sources cited. The fertility of Dorper ewes was approximately 0.90 ewes that lambed per ewe mated, with a litter size ranging f...

Goal. To study the influence of number lambs in offspring and age mothers on absolute indicators variability their live weight growth intensity early postnatal ontogenesis. Methods. The research was carried out at birth after they reached 120 days using generally accepted methodological provisions methods biometrics statistics animal husbandry. Results. regularity determined by type established...

The objective of this study was to assess variance components and genetic parameters for fat and protein content in Tsigai sheep using multivariate animal models in which fat and protein content in individual months of lactation were treated as different traits, and univariate models in which fat and protein content were treated as repeated measures of the same traits. Test day measurements wer...

Reliable automated blood cell characterization and quantification remain challenging in pathologic samples, whereas slide reviews due to unnecessary flagging should be avoided. We compared 4 modern hematology analyzers-Abbott Sapphire, Siemens Advia 120, Sysmex XE-2100, and Beckman Coulter DxH 800-regarding complete blood cell count (CBC), leukocyte differential count, and flagging efficacy in ...

Pregnancy disease (pregnancy toxemia, twin lamb disease, lambing sickness, lambing paralysis or lambing ketosis) typically affects ewes during the last 2 to 4 weeks of pregnancy and is a common cause of ewe and lamb loss in Michigan flocks. Overconditioned or thin ewes, usually pregnant with multiple fetuses, are most commonly affected and clinical cases are generally limited to older ewes duri...