The productivity of a perennial lupin/cocksfoot mix was compared to that of lucerne in summer dry conditions at Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand. The pastures were planted in December 2013 and rotationally grazed by ewe lambs in autumn 2014 (Year 1), and by ewe hoggets in spring-summer and ewe lambs in autumn of 2014/2015 (Year 2) and 2015/2016 (Year 3). For lupin/cocksfoot relative ...

Most North Dakota sheep production scenarios require substantially more resources, such as feed, labor, and facilities during late gestation and lactation. Early identification of pregnancy and pregnancy rate in sheep provides managers several options to increase flock productivity. First, removal of non-pregnant ewes can increase available resources for pregnant ewes. Second, identification of...

We present a comprehensive analysis of estimation of fisheries Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) reference points using an ecosystem model built for Mille Lacs Lake, the second largest lake within Minnesota, USA. Data from single-species modelling output, extensive annual sampling for species abundances, annual catch-survey, stomach-content analysis for predatory-prey interactions, and expert opi...

Reproductive wastage is a key issue for sheep producers, both regionally and globally. The reproductive output of farm animals can be influenced by physiological and environmental factors. Rapid and reliable quantification of physiological stress can provide a useful tool for designing and testing on-farm management interventions to improve farm animal welfare and productivity. In this study, w...

In practical production, almost all rams and about 50% of ewes are used to fatten. Researchers have proved that ewe ovariectomy could improve the productivity significantly, but the specific molecular mechanism is still unknown. In this study, five independent cDNA libraries (three and two from ovariectomized and normal ewe longissimus dorsi samples, respectively) were constructed to thoroughly...

Sheep production industries face the challenge of increasing farm and profit while reducing environmental impacts. Genetic selection using multi-trait breeding indices can be used to improve flock productivity, profitability, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensities (kg CO2-eq /kg product), however validation improved performance animals ranked higher on at a level is required. Phenotypic dat...

The number of lambs sold per ewe mated in the breeding flock has a considerable impact on sheep operation profitability. This depends primarily on fertility, prolificacy (# of lambs), and lamb survival, mothering ability, milk production of the ewe and lamb growth rate. Optimal reproduction does vary by environment and management system – some sheep operations don’t want a lambing rate over 200...

In this study phenotypic and genetic factors affecting the reproductive efficiency of Lori-Bakhtiari ewes were determined using 8202 reproductive records of 2478 ewes collected at Shooli research station in the southwestern part of Iran (Shahrekord) during 1989 to 2012. Reproductive efficiency over all consecutive lambing opportunities were calculated by adding the total reproductive efficiency...

introduction the longevity is normally defined as the length of its productive life in the flock, which is the amount of time an animal spends producing (1). longevity reflects the ability of ewe to avoid being culled for low production, low fertility, illness and influences the number and cost of replacements required to maintain the flock size. the benefit of increasing longevity are increase...