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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2017
The construction of selection indices for sheep improvement programmes requires reliable estimates of the genetic and phenotypic correlations among traits in the selection objective and the criteria on which selection is based. Parameter estimates for growth, ultrasonic predictors of body composition and slaughter traits are scarce for sheep reared in a hill environment in comparison to the information available for terminal sire breeds (Conington et al., 1998). The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters of growth and carcass characteristics of lambs reared in a hill environment when slaughtered at a constant level of finish.