2009•Indian Journal of Small Ruminants (The)Requires access
Growth and reproductive performance of Madras Red sheep under field conditions
T. Sivakumar, Dakshanamoorthy Balasubramanyam, K. T. P. Jawahar, H. Gopi, Suman Jaishankar
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Abstract
The objectives of the study were to record the growth and reproductive performance of Madras Red sheep. The overall mean body weight recorded at birth, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age was 2.68 ± 0.006, 9.64 ± 0.03, 15.02 ± 0.10, 17.80 ± 0.12 and 19.88 ± 1.14 kg, respectively. Season had a marked influence only on post-weaning body weight (except for 12 months of age) whereas location had a marked effect on pre-weaning and post-weaning weight gain (except for 6–9 months of age) of animals. The sex had a marked influence on birth weight and three months weight and no influence on average weight gain. The overall least squares mean body weight of ewes at breeding was 27.81± 0.59 kg and the lambing percentage was 82.49%.