This study investigated the effects of Spirulina (Arthrospira plantensis) supplementation level, basal diet, sire breed, and sex on wool quality parameters in purebred and crossbred Merino lambs. A total of 48 lambs, over two consecutive years (n=24 per year), was randomly allocated into Spirulina supplementation level (CONTROL, LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH) groups and balanced by sire breed (Black Suffol...

Sexual activity, body size and testis growth in the prepubertal period (120-210days of age) were studied in five male lambs of each of four dairy sheep breeds. Sexual responses developed earlier in Friesland than in Chios and Karagouniki and latest in Serres ram lambs. Friesland lambs expressed interest in females at 127days of age and 34kg live weight 18-36days younger and 3.4-6.3kg lighter th...

this experiment was conducted using 172 male lambs of ghezel and mehraban breeds for two periods of 60 and 80 days. two systems of fattening were studied. the first group of lambs entered feedlot boxes immediately after weaning (spring) but the second group being fed on pasture, entered the experiment approximately 4 months later (autumn). fattening periods were 60 and 80 days. the average wean...

early weanling and rearing of lambs on milk replacer is an important act to increasing flock productivity. two experiments were carried out to compare the voluntary intake and nutrients digestibility ewe milk and commercial milk replacer and their feeding effects on the growth rate, feed intake and feed efficiency of suckling lambs. in experiment 1, eight lambs (two 4-lamb groups) at 31 to 34 d...

The National Scrapie Plan (NSP) was launched in Great Britain in 2001, with the aim of eventually eradicating scrapie, a small ruminant transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, from the national sheep flock. Specifically, a selective breeding programme, the Ram Genotyping Scheme, was devised enabling pedigree ram breeders to reduce the number of scrapie-susceptible genotypes from their flocks. ...

78 Ghezel and 76 Mehraban sheep were used to evaluate the effect of fat-tail docking on reproductive performance. Within two days after birth the tails of 32 Ghezel female lambs and 28 Mehraban female lambs were docked using a tight rubber ring. The lambs were allowed to reproduce for three lambing opportunities and their reproductive performances were evaluated. The effect of docking on the fe...

castration of male animal's leads to a reduction in aggressive behavior, which animals will avoid wasting energy resulting to economic production of the animal, grows. it also reduces damage and bruising animals and increases normed meat producing at slaughter. in this study, 20 lambs ghezel breed in four age groups, group 1: one month (n = 4), group 2: two months (n = 4) group 3: three months ...

A study involving 825 spring ewe lambs was conducted to evaluate effects of breed, heterosis, type of birth and rearing, age of dam and preweaning and postweaning growth rate on occurrence of puberty before November 10. Within a breed or breed-cross, preweaning competition among twin and triplet lambs reduced lamb weights by 4 or 5 kg at 70 (weaning), 160 and 230 days of age and by about 3 kg a...

To evaluate terminal-sire breeds, harvest BW, prefabrication carcass measurements, and organ weights were evaluated over 3 yr for 518 crossbred wether lambs (ovis aries). Lambs were produced by single-sire matings of 22 Columbia, 22 USMARC-Composite (Composite), 21 Suffolk, and 17 Texel rams to adult Rambouillet ewes. Lambs were raised to weaning under an extensive western rangeland production ...