Effects of different lambing season on some reproductive characteristics of ewes and growth performance of lambs in Awassi sheep

In this study, it was aimed to determine the performance of Awassi sheep and their lambs in different season within the scope of the national breeding project carried out in Gaziantep. For this purpose, a total of 23490 heads of ewes and its lambs reared in different herds and under natural conditions were used in Gaziantep. The study covers the period between 2014 and 2017. The preliminary descriptive statistics showed that 35.24% and 25.47% of the ewes gave birth in January and December, respectively. Furthermore, the lamb survival rate at the weaning age was calculated to be 97.54% in February and 97.52% in December. The highest and the lowest birth weights were detected as 4.2 ± 0.01 kg and 2.7 ± 0.09 kg in January and May, respectively (P<0.01). On the other hand, the highest and lowest mean values for weaning weight (60th day live weight) were determined as 21.1 ± 0.11 kg and 15.4 ± 0.45 kg in lambs respectively born in October and May (P<0.01). As a result, it can be stated that the most appropriate mating period for Awassi sheep reared in Gaziantep province is between August and September considering the reproductive characteristics and lamb growing.

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