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Analysis of production records from a lowland sheep flock. 4. Factors influencing the incidence of successful pregnancy in young females

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

Maurice Bichard ,
A. A. Younis ,
P. A. Forrest  and
P. H. Cumberland
Maurice Bichard
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
A. A. Younis
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
P. A. Forrest
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
P. H. Cumberland
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
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Summary

Over a 15-year period nearly 2000 young females were exposed to the ram at 6 to 9 months of age. These Clun Forest females were born between January and April in the Cockle Park experimental flock, and mated between October and December of the same year. On average nearly 42% of those present at lambing did not produce a lamb. Analyses are presented of the reproductive efficiency of these animals and of some of the possible causes of their failure to lamb. Observations in 10 of these years suggested that only 12% had not been mated and might therefore be assumed to be prepuberal. Age at first oestrus for those animals achieving puberty in their first autumn was inversely related to date of birth. The number which lambed increased by 1·1% per kg increase in live weight before mating.

In 3 years simple nutritional and housing treatments were applied to groups of female lambs. Feeding a cereal supplement to animals at pasture before, during and after mating, and housing 1 to 2 weeks after mating, appeared to increase the percentage which lambed. It is suggested that the effect was to reduce the amount of early embryo death caused by nutritional and climatic stresses on the normal grazing animal.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , October 1974 , pp. 177 - 191
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1974

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References

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