Sources of variation in Finnish Landrace and Targhee birth weights from pregnancies following natural matings and intra-breed, inter-breed and 2-breed embryo transfers were studied. Birth weights were recorded on 94 lambs from naturally mated ewes and 117 transfer lambs. Two analyses were done, one on observed weights, and one on deviations of observed weights from weights predicted from litter...

The objective of the present study was to compare live animal performance and carcass characteristics of 3/4 or 7/8 Dorper (DO; n= 30), purebred Katahdin (KA; n= 20), purebred St. Croix (SC; n= 17) and purebred Suffolk (SU; n= 10) lambs born in the spring and fall of 2001. After weaning, lambs were supplemented with up to 680 g of a corn-soybean meal supplement while grazing bermudagrass pastur...

We hypothesized that the development and extinction of preferences for flavored foods paired with infusions of starch depends on the delay between food ingestion and starch administration and on the frequency of starch administration. To test this hypothesis, we divided 24 lambs into three groups of 8 lambs/group. On even days, half of the lambs were offered chopped wheat straw flavored with a ...

In many sheep production operations in the Midwestern and Eastern U.S., lambs are managed for maximum body weight gain and fed high-energy diets continuously from shortly after birth until they are marketed as slaughter lambs. Flock owners will replace 20 to 25% of the ewes in their flock each year with ewe lambs raised in their flock or purchased from other producers. Since all lambs in a floc...

We conducted experiments to determine whether lambs fed grain prefer foods and solutions containing sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and lasalocid, compounds capable of attenuating acidosis. In Exp. 1, we determined whether lambs fed barley preferred flavored rabbit pellets (RP) containing NaHCO3 and lasalocid. Lambs in two groups (n = 10/group) were fed increasing amounts of barley on d 1 to 12 (30...

Postfabrication carcass component weights of 517 crossbred wether lambs were analyzed to evaluate 4 terminal-sire breeds. Wethers were produced over 3 yr from single-sire matings of 22 Columbia, 22 USMARC-Composite (Composite), 21 Suffolk, and 17 Texel rams to adult Rambouillet ewes. Lambs were reared to weaning in an extensive western rangeland production system and finished in a feedlot on a ...

Growth and carcass traits of St. Croix White (STX; n = 22) and Dorper X St. Croix White (DRP; n = 18) lambs fed a concentrate ration were evaluated. Starting two weeks after weaning (63 d of age) lambs were fed a commercial diet at 4 percent BW•hd-1•d-1. Lambs were slaughtered at a BW of 30 kg. Carcass weight, fat thickness over the 12th rib, rib eye area (REA), percent KPH and leg circumferenc...

The objective of the study was to determine if exposure of young lambs to leafy spurge (Euphorbia e&u L.) would increase the consumption of this plant. Orphan lambs were exposed to leafy spurge from birth to 11 weeks of age as a water soluble extract mixed with milk replacer and as freshly harvested plants. Ewereared lambs were exposed to leafy spurge by grazing them on a leafy spurge-infested ...

We have previously shown that lambs delivered by caesarean section 1 week prematurely become hypothermic due to reduced brown adipose tissue function in conjunction with low plasma concentrations of cortisol and thyroid hormones. The present study therefore aimed to determine whether maternal dexamethasone (a synthetic corticosteroid) administration could improve thermoregulation in premature l...

Tannins in sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) may bind to alkaloids in endophyte-infected tall fescue [E+; Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.] and attenuate toxicosis. If so, supplementing E+ with sainfoin will increase use of E+ by sheep, and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-a polymer that selectively binds to tannins-will reduce such response. To test these predictions, thirty-six 2-mo-old lambs w...