Abstract
Growth and reproductive performance traits are traits of economic importance for sheep selection and productivity improvement. This study aimed at comparative evaluation of growth and reproductive performance traits of Washera and Gumuz indigenous sheep in the highland and lowland agro-ecologies of northwestern Ethiopia. Data on growth performance traits were collected from 412 Washera (162 male and 250 female) lambs and 208 Gumuz (72 male and 136 female) lambs. Concurrently, data on reproductive performance traits were collected from 406 Washera (130 rams and 276 ewes) sheep and 213 Gumuz (75 rams and 138 ewes) sheep. General linear model (GLM) univariate procedure was employed to analyze the collected data. Mean±SD values of adjusted yearling weight of Washera and Gumuz sheep was 21.80±1.91 and 20.37±1.85 kg, respectively. Breed type affect live weight significantly (P<0.001). Mean±SD values of age at first lambing, lambing interval and annual reproductive rate of Washera sheep were 11.69±1.96 months, 9.27±3.53 months and 2.12 lambs, respectively. The corresponding values for Gumuz sheep were 12.51±1.95 months, 10.43±1.25 months and 1.71 lambs, respectively. Production and reproduction performance values for traits of Washera and Gumuz sheep were comparable to other Ethiopian and African breeds. These values can be used to set up breeding objectives for optimizing breeding schemes of sheep breeding program. In addition, the varied minimum and maximum values of growth and reproductive performance traits indicates that there is within breed variability. This variation could be used as a basis for within breed selection among indigenous sheep by giving special consideration to growth rate traits, believed to have medium heritability values. Keywords: breeding practice, ewe, growth and reproductive performance, lamb, productivity DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/11-8-01 Publication date: April 30 th 2021
Highlights
Sheep enterprises in Ethiopia are used as sources of cash income and provide social security in the bad crop years (IBC 2004; Getachew et al 2010)
This study aimed at comparative evaluation of growth and reproductive performance traits of Washera and Gumuz indigenous sheep in the highland and lowland agro-ecologies of northwestern Ethiopia
Good reproductive performance is a prerequisite for any successful genetic improvement and it determines production efficiency which depends on various factors including age at first lambing, litter size, lambing interval and the life time productivity of the ewe (Ibrahim 1998; Abebe 2008; Edea 2008)
Summary
Sheep enterprises in Ethiopia are used as sources of cash income and provide social security in the bad crop years (IBC 2004; Getachew et al 2010). With 30.7 million sheep (CSA 2016), Ethiopia is a home of most populous indigenous sheep breeds (Gizaw 2008), more than 99% of which are indigenous (CSA 2016). These indigenous breeds of sheep have special adaptive features such as: tolerance to a wide range of diseases, water scarcity tolerance and ability to better utilize the limited and poor quality feed resources (Kosgey and Okeyo 2007). The productivity of local sheep is low with high mortality of lambs (Tibbo 2006; Sebsibie 2008). Conservation of local breeds of sheep is part of animal husbandry and should, ideally, be based on complete information on distribution, structures, and trends, productive and adaptive performances of populations of the existing breeds (IBC 2004). Previous studies on production performance of Washera sheep has been reported for Washera sheep in Quarit and Yelmandensa districts of Amhara region, Ethiopia (Taye et al.2009)
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