Milk yield of Santa Inês and crossbred ewes and performance of their progeny after mating with Dorper rams

Author(s)

Rafael Cedric Moller Meneghini

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2010-06-18

Examining board members

Ivanete Susin; Simone Fernandes; Maria Claudia Araripe Sucupira

• Advisor: Ivanete Susin

Abstract

Two experiments were performed to evaluate the performance of Santa Inês and F1 crossbred ewes and their lambs obtained by mating the ewes to Dorper rams. In Experiment 1- Seventy-five ewe lambs (15 Santa Inês (SI), 15 ½Dorper+½SI, 15 ½Ile de France+½SI, 15 ½Suffolk+½SI e 15 ½Texel+½SI) were mated to Dorper rams and evaluated during lambing and lactation. Number of lambs born/ewe, birth weight, weaning %, ewess DMI, milk yield, milk composition, body condition score, non- esterified fatty acids and lamb performance were evaluated. Milk production was measured every 7 d, from the second to the eighth week of lactation. Ewes were separated from lambs, oxytocin (10 IU) was infused, i.v., to stimulate milk letdown, and ewes were mechanically milked. After 3 h, the procedure was repeated and milk production was recorded and a sample collected for milk composition analysis. SI ewes showed higher (P<0.05) DMI as % of BW when compared to ½DO, ½IF and ½SK. A higher milk fat, total solids and fat corrected milk was observed for ½DO than ½IF. ½TX ewes produced more kg of weaned lambs than SI (27.2 kg vs. 17.3 kg). ADG for ¼TX lambs was higher (P<0.05) than ¾DO (283 g vs.229 g). In Experiment 2 Forty-eight lambs were used to evaluate the performance and carcass traits. Crossbred lambs were: ½DO + ½SI (½SI), ¾DO + ¼SI (¾DO), ½DO + ¼IF + ¼SI (¼IF), ½DO + ¼SK + ¼SI (¼SK) e ½DO + ¼TX + ¼SI (¼TX) feedloted and fed diets containing 90% concentrate and 10% hay. Lambs were housed individually and the slaughter target weight was 37 kg. Lambs were 75 days old at begining of the feedlot. There was no difference (P>0.05) on slaughter weight and age, starting weight at feedlot, dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency (FE), hot carcass weight, chilled carcass weight, dressing percentage, Longissimus muscle area, back fat, carcass measures and retail cuts yield. Lambs ¾DO had greater chilling losses when compared to ½SI. Lambs ¼SK showed greater carcass lenght when compared to ¼TX. Crossbred lambs evaluated showed similar performance (ADG, DMI, FE) and carcass characteristics except for carcass lenght. Crossbreeding meat type sheep is an interesting strategy to obtain lambs with desirable performance and carcass quality. (AU)