Distribution of Births of Bafra Sheep Reared in the Mediterranean Region during the Day

Abstract

In this study, the distribution of birth data during the day (24 hours) of 651 lambs born in 2019-2022 of Bafra sheep reared in a private sheep farm in Kızıllı village of Antalya province was investigated. In the study, the effects on the distribution of births during the day and the characteristics of lambs such as birth type, sex, difficult and normal births, and dam’s lactation number were investigated. The 24 hours were divided into four equal periods such as 06:01-12:00 = 1, 12:01-18:00 = 2, 18:01-00:00 = 3, and 00:01- 06:00 = 4 to evaluate the distribution within the day. χ2 (Chi-square) test analysis was used to determine whether the characteristics such as, birth type, sex, difficult and normal births, and dam’s lactation number affected the distribution of births during the day. As a result of the analysis, the distribution of a total of 651 lamb births during the day was observed as 260 heads (39.9%) at 06:01-12:00, 199 heads (30.6%) at 12:01-18:00, 109 heads (16.7%) at 18:01- 00:00, and 83 heads (12.7%) at 00:01-06:00, respectively. In the first and second time periods between 06:01 and 18:00, 70.5% (459 heads) of lamb births occurred. The ratio and number of lambs in sex distribution were determined as 45.8% male (298 head) and 54.2% female (353 head), respectively. The number and rate of lamb births of ewes in the first lactation comprised 366 heads and 56.2%, respectively. According to the χ2 test of the time periods of the births, the effect of the lamb's birth type (P