Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T21:14:59.387Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Variability in the rate of decline in birth weight as litter size increases in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

E. Gootwine
E. Gootwine*
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Science, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Centre, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Carrying multiple foetuses leads to a decline in lamb birth weight. The rate of litter size-dependent birth weight decline (LSDBD) in a population can be obtained by calculating the linear relationship between the reciprocal of lamb's birth weight and the respective litter size. Based on published data on lamb birth weight and by using the reciprocal approach, LSDBD rate was calculated for 70 purebred and crossbred sheep populations in which birth weight of lambs born as singles ranged from 1·3 to 6·3 kg. High variability in LSDBD was found. Both genetic and environmental factors may contribute to the variability of this trait.

Keywords

birth weightlitter sizesheep
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 81 , Issue 3 , December 2005 , pp. 393 - 398
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bloomfield, F. H., Oliver, M. H., Hawkins, P., Campbell, M., Phillips, D. J., Gluckman, P. D., Challis, J. R. and Harding, J. E. 2003. A periconceptional nutritional origin for noninfectious preterm birth. Science 300: 606.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Branford Oltenacu, E. A. and Boylan, W. J. 1981. Productivity of purebred and crossbred Finnsheep. II. Lambs weight and production indices of ewes. Journal of Animal Science 52: 998–1013.Google Scholar
Cochran, K. P., Notter, D. R. and McClaugherty, F. S. 1984. A comparison of Dorset and Finnish Landrace crossbred ewes. Journal of Animal Science 59: 329–337.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Costine, B. A., Inskeep, E. K. and Wilson, M. E. 2005. Growth hormone at breeding modifies conceptus development and postnatal growth in sheep. Journal of Animal Science 83: 810–815.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, G. H. 2005. Major genes affecting ovulation rate in sheep. Genetics, Selection, Evolution 37: (suppl. 1) S11–S24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dickinson, A. G., Hancock, J. L., Hovell, G. J. R., Taylor, St C. S. and Wiener, G. 1962. The size of lambs at birth–a study involving egg transfer. Animal Production 4: 64–79.Google Scholar
Doloksaribu, M., Gatenby, R. M., Subandriyo and Bradford, G. E. 2000. Comparison of Sumatra sheep and hair sheep crossbreds. III. Reproductive performance of F2 ewes and weights of lambs. Small Ruminant Research 38: 115–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donald, H. P. and Russell, W. S. 1970. The relationship between live weight of ewe at mating and weight of newborn lamb. Animal Production 12: 273–280.Google Scholar
Eyal, E., Goot, H., Kali, J., Amir, D., Rosenberg, M., Schindler, H., Davidson, M., Tamarin, R., Foote, W. C., Matthews, D. H. and Hogue, D. E. 1984. The promotion of prolific strains of sheep by nutritional and managerial means. Report submitted to the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund.Google Scholar
Fahmy, M. H. and Mason, I. L. 1996. Newly developed proli.c breeds. In Prolific sheep (ed. Fahmy, M. H.), pp. 187–203. CAB International, Wallingford.Google Scholar
Freetly, H. C. and Leymaster, K. A. 2004. Relationship between litter birth weight and litter size in six breeds of sheep. Journal of Animal Science 82: 612–618.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gadd, T. S., Aitken, R. P., Wallace, J. M. and Wathes, D. C. 2000. Effect of a high maternal dietary intake during mid-gestation on components of the utero-placental insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system in adolescent sheep with retarded placental development. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 118: 407–416.Google Scholar
Gatenby, R. M., Bradford, G. E., Doloksaribu, M., Romjali, E., Pitono, A. D. and Sakul, H. 1997. Comparison of Sumatra sheep and three hair sheep crossbreds. I. Growth, mortality and wool cover of F1 lambs. Small Ruminant Research 25: 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gluckman, P. D. and Pinal, C. S. 2003. Regulation of fetal growth by the somatotrophic axis. Journal of Nutrition 133: 1741S–1746S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goot, H. 1973. Finnsheep in Finland. Special publication no. 28, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel.Google Scholar
Gootwine, E. 2004. Placental hormones and fetal-placental development. Animal Reproduction 82–83: 551–566.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gootwine, E., Bor, A., Braw-Tal, R. and Zenou, A. 1993. Inheritance of birthweight and growth traits in crosses between the Booroola-Merino and Assaf sheep breeds. Livestock Production Science 33: 119–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gootwine, E., Rozov, A., Bor, A. and Reicher, S. 2003. Effects of the FecB (Booroola) gene on reproductive and productive traits in the Assaf breed. Proceedings of the international workshop on major genes and QTL in sheep and goats, Toulouse, France, com. no. 2–12.Google Scholar
Gordon, I. 1958. The hormonal augmentation of fertility in the ewe during the breeding season. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 50: 123–151.Google Scholar
Greeff, J. C., Hofmeyr, J. H., Lourens, D. J., Wyma, G. A. and Maijala, K. 1992. Performances of Finnsheep in South Africa. Agricultural Science in Finland 1: 195–202.Google Scholar
Greenwood, P. L., Slepetis, M. R. and Bell, A. 2000. Influences on fetal and placental weights during mid to late gestation in prolific ewes well nourished throughout pregnancy. Reproduction, Fertility, Development 12: 149–156.Google Scholar
Grennan, E. J. 2001. Extending the season for prime lamb production from grass. End of project report: sheep series no. 12, Teagasc, Sheep Research Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway. Irish Agricultural and Food Authority internal publication project no. 4472.Google Scholar
Hall, D. G., Fogarty, N. M. and Gilmour, A. R. 1995. Performance of crossbred progeny of Trangie Fertility Merino and Booroola Merino rams and Polled Dorset ewes. 1. Lamb birth weight, survival and growth. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 35: 1069–1074.Google Scholar
Hinch, G. N., Crosbie, S. F., Kelly, R. W., Owens, J. L. and Davis, G. H. 1985. Influence of birth weight and litter size on lamb survival in high fecundity Booroola-Merino crossbred flocks. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 28: 31–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holliday, R. 1960. Plant population and crop yield. Nature 186: 22–24.Google Scholar
Holst, P. J., Fogarty, N. M. and Stanley, D. F. 2002. Birth weights, meningeal lesions, and survival of diverse genotypes of lambs from Merino and crossbred ewes. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 53: 175–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iman, N. Y. and Slyter, A. L. 1996. Lifetime lamb and wool production of Targhee or Finn-Dorset Targhee ewes managed as farm or range flock. I. Average annual ewe performance. Journal of Animal Science 74: 1757–1764.Google Scholar
Kaulfuss, K. H., Schramm, D. and Berttram, M. 2000. Effect of genotype, dam age, litter size, birth weight and ram on morphological parameters of the placenta in sheep. Deutsche Tierärzliche Wochenschrift 107: 269–275.Google Scholar
Kleemann, D. O., Walker, S. K., Walkey, J. R. W., Ponzoni, R. W., Smith, D. H., Grimson, R. J. and Seamark, R. F. 1993. Effect of nutrition during pregnancy on fetal growth and survival in FECB Booroola × South Australian Merino ewes. Theriogenology 39: 623–630.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kleemann, D. O., Walker, S. K., Walkey, J. R. W., Smith, D. H., Ponzoni, R. W. and Seamark, R. F. 1990. Factors in.uencing lamb survival in high fecundity Booroola Merino × South Australian Merino flocks. Theriogenology 33: 965–976.Google Scholar
Liebovich, H., Gertler, A., Bazer, F. W. and Gootwine, E. 2000. Immunization of sheep against placental lactogen: effects on conception rate, ewe's hormone plasma levels during pregnancy and lamb birth weight. Animal Reproduction Science 64: 33–47.Google Scholar
Magid, A. F., Swanson, V. B., Brinks, J. S., Dickerson, G. E. and Smith, G. M. 1981. Border Leicester and Finnship crosses. II. Productivity of F1 ewes. Journal of Animal Science 52: 1262–1271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manalu, W. and Sumaryadi, M. Y. 1998. Maternal serum progesterone concentration during pregnancy and lamb birth weight at parturition in Javanese Thin-Tail ewes with different litter sizes. Small Ruminant Research 30: 163–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mesa, H., Safranski, T. J., Fischer, K. A., Cammack, K. M. and Lamberson, W. R. 2005. Selection for placental efficiency in swine: genetic parameters and trends. Journal of Animal Science 83: 983–991.Google Scholar
Nimbkar, C., Ghalsasi, P. M., Ghatge, R. R. and Gray, G. D. 1998. Establishment of prolific Garole sheep from West Bengal in the semi-arid Deccan Plateau of Maharashtra. Proceeding of the sixth world congress on genetics applied to livestock production, Armidale, vol. 25, pp. 257–260.Google Scholar
Notter, D. R., Borg, R. C. and Kuehn, L. A. 2005. Adjustment of lamb birth and weaning weights for continuous effects of dam age. Animal Science 80: 241–248.Google Scholar
Notter, D. R. and Copenhaver, J. S. 1980. Performance of Finnish Landrace crossbred ewes under accelerated lambing. II. Lamb growth and survival. Journal of Animal Science 51: 1043–1050.Google Scholar
Olson, L. W., Dickerson, G. E. and Glimp, H. A. 1976. Selection criteria for intensive market lamb production: growth traits. Journal of Animal Science 43: 78–89.Google Scholar
Osgerby, J. C., Wathes, D. C., Howard, D. and Gadd, T. S. 2002. The effect of maternal undernutrition on ovine fetal growth. Journal of Endocrinology 173: 131–141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ploumi, K. and Emmanouilidis, P. 1999. Lamb and milk production traits of Serrai sheep in Greece. Small Ruminant Research 33: 289–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poindron, P., Nowak, R., Oldham, C. M. and Lindsay, D. R. 1996. The reproductive behavior of prolific sheep. In Prolific sheep (ed.Fahamy, M. H.), pp. 471–483. CAB International, Wallingford.Google Scholar
Rastogi, R. K. 1996. The Barbados Blackbelly. In Prolific sheep (ed. Fahamy, M. H.), pp. 121–136. CAB International, Wallingford.Google Scholar
Razungles, J., Tchamitchian, L., Bebi, B., Lefevre, C., Brunel, J. C. and Ricordeau, G. 1985. The performance of Romanov crosses and their merit as a basis for selection. In Genetics of reproduction (ed. Land, R. B. and Robinson, D. W.), pp. 39–45. Butterworths, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rhind, S. M., Robinson, J. J. and McDonald, I. 1980. Relationship among uterine and placental factors in prolific ewes and their relevance to variation in foetal weight. Animal Production 30: 115–124.Google Scholar
Robinson, J. J., Sinclair, K. D. and McEvoy, T. G. 1999. Nutritional effects on foetal growth. Animal Science 68: 315–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shinozaki, K. and Kira, T. 1956. Intraspecific competition among higher plants. VII. Logistic theory of the C-D effect. Journal of Institutes and Polytechnics, Osaka City University Series D 7: 35–72.Google Scholar
Sormunen-Cristian, R. and Suvela, M. 1999. Out-of-season lambing of Finnish Landrace ewes. Small Ruminant Research 31: 265–272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 2001. Jump In®, user's guide version 4. Duxbury, CA.Google Scholar
Symonds, M. E., Budge, H., Stephenson, T. and McMillen, I. C. 2001. Fetal endocrinology and development – manipulation and adaptation to long term nutritional and environmental challenges. Reproduction 121: 853–862.Google Scholar
Willey, R. W. and Heath, S. B. 1969. The quantitative relationships between plant population and crop yield. Advances in Agronomy 21: 281–321.Google Scholar
Wilson, M. E. and Ford, S. P. 2001. Comparative aspects of placental efficiency. Reproduction 58: (suppl.) 223–232.Google Scholar