Foot rot is a highly contagious and economically important disease of the feet of ruminants especially sheep and goats and is characterized by the separation of keratinous hoof from the underlying epidermal tissue resulting in severe lameness, loss of body condition and reduced wool production. Although foot rot infection has been reported in cattle, horses, pigs, deer and mouflon, the infectio...

286 Use of Lucitrap by groups of woolgrowers to control flystrike M.P. Ward 1,2 and R.A. Farrell 1 Agency for Food and Fibre Sciences (Sheep and Wool), Department of Primary Industries, Queensland, Locked Mailbag 4, Moorooka, QLD, 4105. 2 Present address: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1234, USA. Email: farrelr@d...

Crossbreeding of Australian Superfine Merinos (ASMs) with Gansu Alpine Finewool (GAF) sheep and an evaluation of the potential benefits of this genetic cross has not been previously conducted. 13 ASMs were crossbred with GAF sheep over a five year period with backcrossing designed to assess heterosis. Data from 11,178 lambs sired by 189 rams were used in the study. Genotype, birth year, birth t...

395 Blowfly strike of Merino sheep in relation to selection strategy, as well as to objective and subjective wool traits S.W.P. Cloete, J.J. Olivier and E. du Toit Animal Production Division, Elsenburg ADC, Private Bag X1, Elsenburg 7607, South Africa. Irene Animal Improvement Institute, Private Bag X529, Middelburg 5900, South Africa. Tygerhoek Experimental Farm, PO Box 25, Riviersonderend 725...

Keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are a major structural component of hair and wool fibres, and play a critical role in determining the properties of the fibre. To date, forty functional high sulphur KAP genes from fourteen families have been identified in humans, but only seven functional high sulphur KAP genes have been identified in sheep. This led us to search for the ovine KAP13-3 gene, a...

Eighty-one mixed-age (2 to 8 yr old) Rambouillet ewes (58.5 kg, SD 5.9 kg) were randomly assigned to three treatment groups that contained similar numbers to study the effects of wool skirting on clean yield, fiber diameter, and prices received for fine wool. The sheep were managed as a single flock on an experimental ranch close to Barnhart, TX during the 4-yr study. Two fleece-skirting techni...