Abstract
Background: Sheep are one of the important sources of agricultural production in the country and they are one of the pillars of agricultural income. Awassi sheep constitute the numerical majority of Iraqi sheep, as it represents 55-60%. A modern method must be used to in feed, management, improvement of environmental and genetic improvement to increase that productivity in a way that matches the importance of these animals in the livestock sector to achieve the desired target. The season of birth is one of the environmental factors affecting the weight and growth rate of the lambs. Methods: The study was conducted using forty Awassi ewes, 3-4 years old. lambed single male lambs distributed over the two birth seasons (20 ewes/season). The first season was at winter (October to December) and the second season was at spring (February to May). Milk samples were collected 50 ml/ewe for analysis of its components such as fat, protein and solids non-fat percentage, by the German Eco-Milk analyses device. Result: The results of the statistical analysis showed no significant effect for birth season on weight of lambs at birth and a months after birth for the two seasons, while the differences were significant (p≤0.05) at the age of 2 and 3 months in favor of the winter birth. Milk production showed a significant increase (p≤0.05) at the second and third months of ewes in spring season compared to winter. the results showed a significant (p≤0.05) superiority for the percentage of fat, non-fat solids and protein for winter season ewes. A significant positive correlation (p≤0.05) was observed for winter season ewes in body weight, milk fat and protein ratio, a significant positive correlation (p≤0.05) for spring season ewes between body weight and milk production. While the results showed a significant negative correlation (p≤0.05) between the percentage of milk fat for ewes between winter and spring seasons and a highly significant positive relationship (p≤0.05) for milk protein, non-fat solids and weight of ewes for winter and spring seasons, respectively.
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