Effective shelter has been demonstrated to reduce neonatal lamb mortality rates during periods of inclement weather. Periods high wind speed and rainfall have shown influence usage; however, it is not yet known how ewe factors such as breed, age body condition score shelter-seeking behaviour. This study, conducted on a working upland farm in the UK, examined impact artificial biological climati...

Sheep are highly social domesticated animals that evolved to live in large and structured groups. As other group-living species, individuals differ the level of association they have with others, these associations often result lasting stable bonds. However, there substantial gaps our knowledge temporal dynamics sheep, how their bonds vary relation environmental changes. Here, we aimed assess r...

a selection program is being implemented to improve meat production in makooei sheep. increasing litter size per ewe is the main objective, but possible repercussions on weight traits of lambs should be considered. the aim of this study was to estimate heritability along with genetic and phenotypic correlations between ewe's reproductive vs. weight traits in makooei ewes. data were comprised of...

The reproductive efficiency of the entire sheep flock could be improved if ewe lambs go through puberty early and produce their first lamb at 1 year of age. The onset of puberty is linked to the attainment of critical body mass, and therefore we tested whether it would be influenced by genetic selection for growth rate or for rate of accumulation of muscle or fat. We studied 136 Merino ewe lamb...

Three groups of ewe lambs born in May (experiment 1; n=211) or April (experiment 2; n=174) were used to evaluate the effects of selection line and induction of estrus on pregnancy rate. Experiment 1 was a single factor experiment with induction of estrus as the main effect. In early December, May-born Targhee (n=82) and Rambouillet x Targhee (n=129) ewes were randomly assigned within body weigh...

Vaginoscopy allows for diagnostic evaluation and treatment of the vaginal vault. A laparoscopic surgical port device and rigid telescope were utilized for serial vaginoscopy in 8 healthy anesthetized ewes. Vaginoscopy examinations were performed in each ewe at days 1, 14, and 28. This technique was well-tolerated and facilitated carbon dioxide vaginal inflation, complete vaginal examination, id...

Extensive sheep production is an important agricultural industry in the Patagonia region of Argentina, where most metric effective lambing rate (L%). Climate factors can affect two ways: (i) directly on survival lamb, and (ii) indirectly by determining start growing season, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) availability forage. The aim this study was to determine relationships between...