Weight Of Sheep Research Articles

Analysis of rotational grazing management for sheep in mixed grassland.

Sown mixed grassland is rarely used for livestock raising and grazing; however, different forages can provide various nutrients for livestock, which may be beneficial to animal health and welfare. We established a sown mixed grassland and adopted a rotational grazing system, monitored the changes in aboveground biomass and sheep weights during the summer grazing period, measured the nutrients of forage by near-infrared spectroscopy, tested the contents of medium- and long-chain fatty acids by gas chromatography, and explored an efficient sheep fattening system that is suitable for agro-pastoral interlacing areas. The results showed that the maximum forage supply in a single grazing paddock was 4.6 kg DM/d, the highest dry matter intake (DMI) was 1.80 kg DM/ewe/d, the average daily weight gain (ADG) was 193.3 g, the DMI and ADG were significantly correlated (P<0.05), and the average feed weight gain ratio (F/G) reached 8.02. The average crude protein and metabolizable energy intake by sheep were 286 g/ewe/d and 18.5 MJ/ewe/d respectively, and the n-6/n-3 ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids in mutton was 2.84. The results indicated that the sheep fattening system had high feed conversion efficiency, could improve the yield and quality of sheep, and could be promoted in suitable regions.

Динамика живой массы баранчиков каракульской породы при использовании пробиотической кормовой добавки «Фелуцен»

The effect of the probiotic feed additive “Fe- lucene” on the dynamics of the live weight of Karakul sheep at the age of 4-6-8 months was studied

Оценка биологического действия комбинированного облучения овец для определения «безопасных» уровней радиационного воздействия

After a ground-based nuclear explosion, a large amount of fused melted radioactive particles (MRP) is formed. Entering the body of pasture animals with food, they accumulate in the proventriculus and abomasum, irradiating them against the background of total radiation exposure in sublethal doses. Research on combined irradiation of sheep (MRP+1.6 Gy) was carried out under the guidance of Professor B.N. Annenkov in 1978 on 48 sheep irradiated at a dose of 1.6 Gy in combination with feeding sheep with ORF activity from 9.99 to 51.80 MBq/kg of live weight. One group of animals served as non-irradiated controls. In addition, the work used experimental data obtained on 10 sheep irradiated at a dose of 2 Gy. Experimental data were analyzed using mathematical statistics methods. Combined irradiation is accompanied by moderate leukopenia, increased blood viscosity and damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Changes in the gastrointestinal tract are characterized by atony of the proventriculus, pain in the area of the xiphoid cartilage (mesh) and abomasum, hemorrhages and ulcers on the mucous membranes, as well as a decrease in the consumption of feed and water, which led to loss of live weight and death of animals. A study of the dynamics of death of irradiated sheep (probit analysis) showed that the minimum values of death (1 and 5%) can be caused by the consumption of MRP + 1.6 Gy with activity from 4.07 to 6.57 MBq/kg of live weight. Similar data were obtained when analyzing the values of ruminal motility (rumination) in irradiated sheep (3.6 and 5.4 MBq/kg live weight). Therefore, the “safe” level of ORS activity can reach 6.6 MBq/kg live weight of sheep +1.6 Gy of total irradiation.

Correlative variation of economically valuable traits in South Kazakh Merino.

Fine-fleeced sheep are distinguished by numerous economically valuable traits that constitute the foundation for productive distinctions among breeds, populations, lines, and individuals. Many of these traits have already been mentioned or thoroughly examined during studies on the correlative variability of productivity indicators, blood parameters, characteristics of pulmonary gas exchange, histological structures of the skin, and features of the experimental sheep's coat. The objective of our research was to investigate the correlative variability of key economically valuable traits that characterize the overall functional state of sheep organisms under varying environmental conditions. The study was conducted at the "Sharbulak" breeding farms and the "Samat" peasant farms in the Kazygurt district of the Turkestan region. Our findings reveal that one-year-old rams surpass ewes in terms of live weight by 32-37% and in terms of unwashed wool shearing by 21-23%. Two-year-old rams outperform ewes in live weight by 2.15-2.17 times and in unwashed wool shearing by 2.38-2.44 times. The highest phenotypic variability in relative terms (as indicated by the coefficient of variation) is observed in the shearing of pure wool, with an average coefficient of variation of 18.1% across all sex and age groups of sheep. This is followed by the wool coefficient (17.4%) and the yield of pure fiber (12.5%). For each group of animals, the most substantial phenotypic correlation coefficients were observed between the live weight of sheep and the shearing of unwashed wool. On average, across all groups of sheep at the "Sharbulak" breeding farm, this phenotypic correlation reaches +0.411 ± 0.077. Correspondingly, for the sheep herd at the "Samat" peasant farm, it is +0.326 ± 0.075. The second-highest phenotypic correlation pertains to the cut of unwashed wool and the length of wool (with correlation coefficients of +0.156 ± 0.058 and +0.145 ± 0.057, respectively, for the herds). The third-highest correlation involves live weight and wool length (+0.131 ± 0.085 and +0.105 ± 0.078, respectively). No statistically significant differences were identified in the average correlation coefficients between the live weight of sheep, the shearing of unwashed wool, and the length of the staple among the flocks of sheep at the "Sharbulak" breeding farm and the "Samat" peasant farm.

Species dependent correlation analysis and regression models of body weight on linear body measures in indigenous sheep and goats of Zimbabwe

&lt;p&gt;Measurements of live weight in goats and sheep are an important source of information for a range of scientific fields and applications in animal husbandry activities. The study was conducted to investigate the relationship between body weight and body measurements and to predict live body weight from body measurements in indigenous Matabele goats and indigenous Sabi sheep at Matopos Research Station in Zimbabwe. For this purpose, data on body weight (BWT) and linear body measurements (LBM) such as heart girth (HG), body length (BL), wither height (WTH), and rump height (RH) were collected from randomly selected females of each species at the age of 4 years. The corresponding means, standard deviations (SD), and coefficients of variation (CV) were determined for body weight and linear body measurements. Bivariate correlations between bodyweight and linear body measure characteristics were also determined. Simple and multiple regression were used to develop a model to predict BWT using linear body measures. Indigenous Matabele goat females’ CV ranged from 15.77% to 22.68%, while indigenous Sabi sheep females’ CV ranged from 19.16% to 19.37%. The CV was calculated by dividing the mean by the standard deviation. At 4 years of age, the mean BWT of the indigenous Sabi sheep and female Matabele goat were 35.96 ± 0.83 kg and 27.90 ± 0.66 kg, respectively. In indigenous Matabele goat females, the average linear body measures were HW (74.20 ± 0.53 cm), WTH (48.55 ± 0.53 cm), BL (47.53 ± 0.61 cm), and RH (57.50 ± 0.88 cm). The mean values for native Sabi sheep were 63.33 ± 0.70 cm, WTH (52.00 ± 0.80 cm), BL (51.26 ± 0.78 cm), and HW (85.56 ± 1.04 cm). The results showed a strong and positive correlation between BWT and linear body measures in female indigenous Matabele goats. The phenotypic correlation values were HG (&lt;em&gt;r&lt;/em&gt; = 0.79), BL (r = 0.70), WTH (&lt;em&gt;r&lt;/em&gt; = 0.68), and RH (&lt;em&gt;r&lt;/em&gt; = 0.56), in decreasing order. In indigenous Sabi sheep, the phenotypic correlation for BWT and linear body measurement was high and positive for HG (&lt;em&gt;r&lt;/em&gt; = 0.73), and positive and moderate to low with WTH (&lt;em&gt;r&lt;/em&gt; = 0.41), BL (&lt;em&gt;r =&lt;/em&gt; 0.32), and RH (&lt;em&gt;r&lt;/em&gt; = 0.36). Again, the results also indicated that HG had a high and positive phenotypic correlation with BL (&lt;em&gt;r&lt;/em&gt; = 0.53), while modest correlation was observed with HG and WTH (&lt;em&gt;r&lt;/em&gt; = 0.41) and HG and RH (0.32). The optimal regression models for easily measuring body weight using HHG are BWT = −46.711 + 1.006 HG (&lt;em&gt;R&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 60%) and BWT = −15.209 + 0.586 HG (&lt;em&gt;R&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 53%) for indigenous Matabele goats and indigenous Sabi sheep, respectively. It is recommended that smallholder farmers use HG measurements to estimate body weight in both indigenous Sabi sheep and indigenous Matabele goat females at the age of 4 years.&lt;/p&gt;

Development and validation of a test system for determining the polymorphism in the DGKH and PPP1R1C genes associated with body weight of sheep

Relevance. National sheep breeding is lagging behind other branches of animal husbandry considering using of modern DNA technologies. The search for new genes — potential candidates associated with economically significant traits — is relevant for a more complete disclosure of the genetic potential of sheep. An earlier genome-wide association study showed that the DGKH and PPP1R1C genes had a certain effect on body weight of sheep at birth and at the age of 90 days. In this regard, a more detailed study of polymorphism in the DGKH and PPP1R1C genes can deepen understanding of growth and development processes in domestic sheep, so we have chosen these genes as targets for the experiment.Methods. Primers and probes were selected for amplification of a fragment with targeted SNPs in the DGKH and PPP1R1C genes with a length of 68 nucleotide pairs based on the reference DNA sequence on the 10th (NC_056063.1) and the 2nd chromosome (NC_056055.1) sheep represented in NCBI. To determine polymorphism, real-time PCR-based test systems were developed. Genotypes were determined using a multiparametric graph. The test systems were tested on 147 sheep of the southern meat breed.Results. The developed test systems for promising DGKH and PPP1R1C genes allowed to clearly determine sheep genotypes based on using the PCR-RT. All three genotypes (T/T, C/T, and C/C) were identified in the DGKH gene. No homozygous genotype (T/T) was identified in the PPP1R1C gene in the studied population. The test systems are suitable for routine DNA analysis in molecular genetic laboratories.

Prediction of body weight using body measurements in some sheep and goats in Qatar

ABSTRACT The study aimed to identify the relationship between body measurements and the weight of sheep and goats. A total of 324 heads of sheep and 261 heads of goats were used. Measuring of body weight (BWt) and body measurements as heart girth (HG), height at wither (HW) and body length (BL) were taken on both types of animals for 3 successive months. Correlations between body weight and measurements were tested. Linear and non-linear regressions of body weight on the most correlated body measurements were calculated. HG, HW and BL were significantly related to BWt. HG had the largest correlation coefficient. Power regression had the highest coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.91) and lowest error of estimate (SE = 7.42). The power regression model (BWt = 0.0006*HG2.5608) was tested against the actual weight of another animal’s population of 119 heads of goats and 171 heads of sheep using paired t-test analysis. No significant variation was observed between the actual and estimated body weights. The model overestimated weight by 1.5%. It was concluded that body weight could be estimated with a high accuracy using the corrected model BWt (kg) = (0.0006*(HG2.5608))–(1.5*(0.0006*(HG2.5608)/100)).

Impact of growth hormone receptor gene on measurements of dimen-sions and body weights of local Iraqi sheep

This research involved a sample of 50 local Iraqi sheep, consisting of 27 males and 23 females, aged between 5 and 17 months. Data collection occurred during two distinct seasonal periods: October 2022 and January 2023. The primary objective was to investigate the variations in the expression of the growth hormone receptor (GHR) and its influence on the physical attributes of local Iraqi sheep within this age range. The results showed that the GHR gene exhibited a marked increase in expression during the second seasonal timeframe with levels of 23.8 ± 0.2 and 29.7 ±1.4 for first period. This increase in gene expression was paralleled by substantial differences in the sheep's body weights, with values of 33.7376±0.732(kg) for the first seasonal period and 35.77±1.111(kg) for the second seasonal period. Similarly, the dressing percentage showed significant differences, with values of 47.71±0.49 (kg) for the first period and 50.11±0.59 (kg) for the second period. Furthermore, carcass weight demonstrated highly statistically significant variations, measuring 16.037±0.440 (kg) during the first seasonal period and 17.978±0.655 (kg) during the second seasonal period. Gender-based analyses revealed significant disparities, with males exhibiting greater weight measurements (kg) (36.764±1.002) compared to females (32.122±806.0). The same trend was observed in carcass weight (18.362±0.606 for males and 15.242±0.369 for females), dressing percentage (49.8±0.0062 for males and 47.8±0.0047 for females), and viscera weight (1.382±0.029 for males and 1.258±0.032 for females). In addition to these findings, body dimension measurements (cm) showed significant differences in lump height, with measurements of 67.81±0.891 in the first period and 64.88±0.717 in the second period. However, non-significant differences were observed in other body dimension measurements. These findings have implications for understanding the genetic factors affecting the growth and development of sheep which can inform breeding and livestock management practices.

Determination of the effect of pre-mating weight and placental characteristics on birth weight in Karayaka sheep.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the pre-mating weight and placental characteristics on birth weight. Data were collected from 62 Karayaka ewes and 70 Karayaka lambs. The placental characteristics considered were placental weight, placental area and the number of cotyledons. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used for statistical comparison and the determination of relationships between variables.In addition, correlation coefficients between live weights and placental characteristics were determined. The average birth weight (BW), pre-mating weight (PMW), placental weight (PW), placental area (PA) and cotyledon number (CN) values were 4.37 0.70 kg, 50.22 5.63 kg, 362.51 118.42 g, 994.18 312.76 cm and 56.93 8.06, respectively. BW had positive correlations with PMW (0.147), birth type (BT) (0.643), PW (0.604), PA (0.323) and CN (0.161) ( 0.05). BW had negative correlations with maternal age (MA) () ( 0.05). PMW had positive correlations with maternal age (MA) (0.237) ( 0.05). PMW had negative correlations with S (sex) (), PW (), PA () and CN () ( 0.05).

Multiple Linear Regression Equations to Estimate the Body Weight of Waringin Sheep Based on Morphometric Characteristics in Various Age Groups.

Waringin sheep is a new breed of sheep resulting from a cross between local sheep, Barbados sheep and St.Croix sheep. This study aims to determine the morphometric characteristics of ewes and rams Waringin sheep at different ages in Stabat District, Langkat Regency. This study used a descriptive method by collecting data in the field, the data collected were 99 ewes Waringin sheep and 66 rams Waringin sheep and observed their morphometric characteristics starting from body weight, body length, skull length, skull width, body height, and chest circumference, chest width, chest depth, front leg length, hind leg length, hip width, hip height, tail length, tail width, crotch length, crotch width, and canon circumference. Data were analyzed using the SPSS application with multiple linear regression methods used to determine the relationship between the morphometric relationship between Waringin sheep and their body weight. The results showed that almost 90% of the morphometrics of Waringin sheep affected the body weight of the sheep using linear regression analysis.

PSIV-12 Monitoring Ewe Forage Selectivity and Consumption of Tall Larkspur (Delphinium Spp.) in Southern Utah Via Visual Observation and Fecal Metabarcoding

Abstract In Southern Utah, sheep are utilized to a greater extent to graze rangeland due to the presence of Tall Larkspur (Delphinium spp.), which is known to be toxic to cattle. The objectives of this study are to quantify to what degree sheep consume Tall Larkspur and identify forage preferences on a diverse rangeland. We hypothesize that ewes consume tall larkspur based off preferences applied to other forages across range. In this study, ewes (n = 400) were grazed across four summer pastures on Cedar Mountain near Cedar City, Utah. Ewe breed types consisted of Suffolk, Targhee, Rambouillet, and their crosses. During the 116-day trial plant consumption type, time of day, forage availability, weather, range utilization, and apparent weight of sheep were monitored and recorded. Data were collected via a 5-minute bite count procedure, noting all variables above, for each observed ewe. Fecal samples were collected and used for fecal metabarcoding (fDNA) at approximately 30% pasture utilization, which measures the proportion of plant DNA in the feces to determine forage species consumed. Plant species were sorted into functional groups (forbs, grass likes, grasses, shrubs, and trees). Data were evaluated through a CART analysis in R v4.1.2 and stratified using the GLM procedure in SAS v9.4. There was an increase in consumption of forbs, shrubs, and grasses over time, (P &amp;lt; 0.001), (P = 0.01), and (P &amp;lt; 0.001), respectively. For the grass-like and lichen plant types, there is little evidence of forage preference, (P = 0.7) and (P = 1.00) respectively. Fecal metabarcoding analysis indicates that protein content of diet originated from forbs, grass likes, grasses, shrubs, and trees by approximately 57%, 1%, 5%, 6%, and 31%, respectively. Tall Larkspur appeared in fDNA samples, but did not represent a significant portion of the diet. Our findings indicate that sheep in Southern Utah utilize tall larkspur on range to a small extent in their diet, but do not preferentially graze it over other forb species.

Search for Candidate Genes for Live Weight in Sheep of the Southern Meat Breed

Search for Candidate Genes for Live Weight in Sheep of the Southern Meat Breed

Peculiarities of organometry and morphoarchitectonics of the heart of the Domestic ram (Ovis aries L., 1758)

Today, cardiovascular diseases are the dominant diseases of animals, which most often lead to their death both in Ukraine and worldwide. Therefore, morphological studies of the heart at the cellular, tissue, and organ levels are essential in clinical cardiology for in vivo ultrasound diagnosis of functional and organic heart lesions. The aim of the study was to perform a histological and cytomorphometric assessment of the morphological structures of the sheep heart using macroscopic, histological, and morphometric methods. Using morphological methods, the hearts of sexually mature clinically healthy animals (n=5) belonging to the class Mammalia – Mammals, species Ovis aries L., 1758 – domestic sheep (ram) were studied. The absolute and relative heart weights of mature sheep were determined, which are, respectively, 208.4±9.82 g and 0.44±0.007%, and the weight without epicardial fat is 175.0±8.17 g. The heart of sheep, according to the development index (145.5±4.02%), belongs to the expanded-shortened anatomical type. The most developed components are the ventricles. At the same time, the ratio of the mass of the heart ventricles to its net mass is 1:0.78, respectively, the ratio of the mass of the atria is 1:0.22, and the ratio of the mass of the atrial myocardium to the mass of the ventricular myocardium is 1:0.29. The largest volume was found in the cardiomyocytes of the left ventricle – 3982.99±423.96 μm3 , the smaller – in the right ventricle – 2463.02±318.04 μm3 and the smallest – in the atrial cardiomyocytes – 1215.93±176.94 μm3 . The volumes of cardiomyocyte nuclei in the left (53.42±5.18 μm3 ), right (52.85±4.33 μm3 ) ventricles and atria (50.16±4.57 μm3 ) were almost identical. Nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio was the lowest in cardiomyocytes of the left ventricle – 0.0136±0.0062, slightly higher in cardiomyocytes of the right ventricle – 0.0219±0.0079 and the highest – 0.0430±0.0096 in atrial cardiomyocytes. The obtained results on the macroand microscopic structure of the heart of bighorn sheep (Ovis aries L., 1758) complement the information on the morphology of the sheep heart in the relevant sections of histology and comparative anatomy and are necessary for clinical cardiology

Uncovering the candidate genes related to sheep body weight using multi-trait genome-wide association analysis.

In sheep, body weight is an economically important trait. This study sought to map genetic loci related to weaning weight and yearling weight. To this end, a single-trait and multi-trait genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using a high-density 600 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip. The results showed that 43 and 56 SNPs were significantly associated with weaning weight and yearling weight, respectively. A region associated with both weaning and yearling traits (OARX: 6.74-7.04 Mb) was identified, suggesting that the same genes could play a role in regulating both these traits. This region was found to contain three genes (TBL1X, SHROOM2 and GPR143). The most significant SNP was Affx-281066395, located at 6.94 Mb (p = 1.70 × 10-17), corresponding to the SHROOM2 gene. We also identified 93 novel SNPs elated to sheep weight using multi-trait GWAS analysis. A new genomic region (OAR10: 76.04-77.23 Mb) with 22 significant SNPs were discovered. Combining transcriptomic data from multiple tissues and genomic data in sheep, we found the HINT1, ASB11 and GPR143 genes may involve in sheep body weight. So, multi-omic anlaysis is a valuable strategy identifying candidate genes related to body weight.

Comparison of the data mining and machine learning algorithms for predicting the final body weight for Romane sheep breed.

The current study aimed to predict final body weight (weight of fourth months of age to select the future reproducers) by using birth weight, birth type, sex, suckling weight, age at suckling weight, weaning weight, age at weaning weight, and age of final body weight for the Romane sheep breed. For this purpose, classification and regression tree (CART), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), and support vector machine regression (SVR) algorithms were used for training (80%) and testing (20%) sets. Different data mining and machine learning algorithms were used to predict final body weight of 393 Romane sheep (238 female and 155 male animals) were used with different artificial intelligence algorithms. The best prediction model was obtained by CART model, both training and testing set. Constructed CART models indicated that sex, suckling weight, weaning weight, age of weaning weight, and age of final weight could be used as an indirect selection measure to get a superior sheep flock on the final body weight of Romane sheep. If genetically established, the Romane sheep whose sex is female, age of final weight is over 142 days, and weaning weight is over 28 kg could be chosen for affording genetic improvement in final body weight. In conclusion, the usage of CART procedure may be worthy of reflection for identifying breed standards and choosing superior sheep for meat yield in France.

Body weight prediction model analysis based on the body size of female Sakub sheep in Brebes District, Indonesia

Abstract. Jannah ZN, Atmoko BA, Ibrahim A, Harahap MA, Panjono. 2023. Body weight prediction model analysis based on the body size of female Sakub sheep in Brebes District, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24: 3657-3664. Calculation of body weight is one of the important factors in seeing the performance of sheep (Ovis aries), breeding stock selection, and livestock management, such as the basis for consideration of feeding, medicine dosage, slaughter time, and growth evaluation. However, in smallholder farms, the availability of scales is an obstacle, not to mention the inadequacy of the pens’ construction, making the weighing process more difficult. The present study was conducted to analyze correlation and regression models and determine the best and most accurate regression model for predicting the body weight of female Sakub sheep using body sizes. Data on 150 female Sakub sheep kept by smallholder farmers and raised intensively in Paguyangan and Sirampog District, Brebes District, Central Java, Indonesia, were obtained. The Body Weight (BW) of Sakub sheep was weighed, and their body sizes, including body length (BL), chest girth (CG), and shoulder height (SH) were measured. The correlation was calculated using the Pearson correlation, regression models were analyzed and determined using simple, multiple, and automatic linear regression methods. Pooled means of 36.21±12.31 kg for BW and 67.13±7.97, 82.51±10.47, and 65.76±6.24 cm for BL, CG, and SH, respectively, were obtained in the present study. The body size has a positive and high correlation with BW, BL has the highest correlation with BW, which is 0.810, followed by CG (0.807) and SH (0.782). Meanwhile, the correlation of body size combination between BL, CG, and WH has the highest value, 0.883, followed by BL and CG (0.875), between CG and SH (0.875). The best body size and the most accurate (77.40%) to predict BW of female Sakub sheep is the combination of the three BL+CG+SH with regression equation model BW = 67,004+0.589BL+0.453CG+0.399SH. Meanwhile, the prediction of BW with a single body size is BL with the regression equation BW = -47,658 + 1,249BL with an accuracy of 65.40%. This study concludes that body size, namely BL, CG, and SH, can be used to predict BW of female Sakub sheep, either single or in 2 or 3 combinations. The prediction model BW using a combination of 3 body sizes has the highest accuracy, followed by a combination of 2 body sizes (BL+CG), and the last is BL as a single predictor.

Morphometric traits and stepwise regression of indigenous sheep in southwestern region, Ethiopia

This research was carried out to characterize differences in morphometric features and assess the effectiveness of various linear body measures in forecasting the live weight of local sheep grown in Bench Sheko zone, southwestern Ethiopia. Purposive followed by random sampling procedures were used, to choose the potential samples. Qualitative trait, body weight, and linear body measurements were taken from 660 sheep. Plain (69.8%) and patchy (16.7%) coat color patterns were predominant in both districts. The bulk of the sheep in the research locations had narrow tails, short hair, horned males, dark red coat colors, Cylindrical and turned up at the tip tail shape, straight head and back profile, and sloping rump profile. Live weight and linear body measurements are significantly influenced by age, sex, sex-age interaction, and location. The mean body weight, heart girth, wither height, body length, ear length, tail length, rump height, rump length, rump width, and scrotal circumference were, 28.4 ± 0.15 cm, 75.5 ± 0.18 cm, 64.0 ± 0.12 cm, 62.8 ± 0.14 cm, 11.1 ± 0.06 cm, 28.2 ± 0.20 cm, 64.8 ± 0.12 cm, 20.8 ± 0.05 cm, 16.6 ± 0.06 cm and 26.1 ± 0.16 cm respectively. Heart girth was the best correlated with the sheep of different age class in both the districts. The greatest predictor of body weight (BW) was heart girth (HG) along with other linear body measurements. Therefore, HG was found to be the most significant factor influencing the bulk of the changes in BW, indicating that it could be utilized as a valid estimator for the sheep breed investigated. Genetic improvement must be prioritized since indigenous sheep in the study area have a large body frame.

Volumetric calculation of cerebellum in Akkaraman sheep and Hair goat using Cavalieri’s principle

The aim of this study is to calculate the cerebellum volume in Akkaraman sheep and Hair goat using the Cavalieri's principle. Cerebellum of 12 healthy 1-2 year old male animals (6 sheep and 6 goats) were used in the study. The weight of the cerebellum separated from the rhombencephalon was calculated with a sensitive electronic balance, and its volume was calculated with Archimedes' principle. In the volume measurement to be made with Cavalieri's principle, the cerebellum was blocked with 8% agar to prevent tissue loss during slicing. The stained sections were scanned with a horizontal scanner at 600 dpi resolution. Gray matter and white matter volume were calculated separately by dropping the point counting grid on cross sections in ImageJ software. Cerebellum weight was calculated as 11.6 gr in sheep and 12.55 gr in goats. The ratio of cerebellum weight to total brain weight was calculated as 0.10 in both species. It was observed that the cerebellum weighs an average of 9.8% of the total brain weight in sheep. In the goat, it was observed that the cerebellum constituted 10.11% of the brain. Gray matter and white matter volumes were calculated as 6.75 ml and 3.36 ml in sheep, respectively. In the goat, the gray matter and white matter volumes were measured as 6.80 ml and 3.82 ml, respectively. Total cerebellum volume was found to be 10.14 ml and 10.65 ml in sheep and goats, respectively. In sheep, 65.55% of the cerebellum volume consisted of gray matter and 33.08% of white matter. In goats, 63.88% of the cerebellum consisted of gray matter and 35.85% of white matter. No statistical difference was observed in the volume measurement results obtained in both species (p&gt;0.05). In recent years, there has been an increase in neurodegenerative disease models in farm animals. These diseases can cause changes in the volume of the cerebellum. In this context, it is thought that the volume values obtained from healthy sheep and goat cerebellum in the current study will be important for future studies

Growth traits, hematological, and ruminal fluid profile of sheep offered ensiled coffee skin replacing dried water spinach.

Developing simple, cost-efficient sheep feed will improve farmers' incomes. Including coffee skin in feed offers the most technical method of increasing sheep weight gain. This study aimed to evaluate varying proportions of ensiled coffee skin replacing dried water spinach and determine the optimal combination for the growth performance, physiological and hematological profiles, and rumen fluid of sheep. Eighty-four animals were randomly allocated to the treatments, arranged in a randomized block design using the initial weight as a block. Seven treatment diets were adjusted and a 12-animal replication was used for each treatment. The treatments were as follows: T0: 30% maize stover, 30% dried water spinach, 5% pollard, 20% coffee skin; T1: 30% maize stover, 25% dried water spinach, 5% pollard, 5% ensiled coffee skin; T2: 30% maize stover, 20% dried water spinach, 5% pollard, 10% ensiled coffee skin; T3: 30% maize stover, 15% dried water spinach, 5% pollard, 15% ensiled coffee skin; T4: 30% maize stover, 10% dried water spinach, 5% pollard, 20% ensiled coffee skin; T5: 30% maize stover, 5% dried water spinach, 5% pollard, 25% ensiled coffee skin; T6: 30% maize stover, 5% pollard, and 30% ensiled coffee skin. The sheep were reared for 70 days.The parameters observed during the early stage included growth performance (initial body weight, LW gain, final body weight, and feed intake). At the end of periods, a representative sample of ruminal fluid (approximately 150 mL) was collected from slaughtered sheep, duplicated, and then incubated for 18 h and blood samples were collected from the sheep (jugular vein) in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tubes. Then, used to analyze various blood biochemical parameters. The final body weights showed a linear curve increasing as the treatment increased (p < 0.05). The ensiled coffee skin tended to increase at 6 h incubation time, producing reduced methane gas (p < 0.05). However, in general, the use of ensiled coffee skin did not significantly alter the blood biochemistry of crossbreed sheep (p > 0.05). There was no significant effect on the protozoal population (p > 0.05). Increasing the level of ensiled coffee skin up to 30% replacing dried water spinach increased the final body weight of crossbreed sheep with no adverse effect.

Sheep supplementation in the arid and semi-arid areas of northern Kenya

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of partial supplementation of 1.5 years old blackhead Persian sheep with hay, molasses and local salt (Chalbi salt). The nutritive values of hay, molasses and Chalbi salt were determined. The selected sheep were assigned to three treatments in a completely randomized design; 10 sheep were given to the farmer and were herded based on his management practice (denoted as treatment A), 10 were grazed for 5 h and later supplemented with 600 g of chopped hay mixed with molasses per sheep daily and Chalbi salt ad libitum (denoted as treatment B), 10 were introduced to a government research farm, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO-Marsabit) flock and managed on the free range with no supplementation except Chalbi salt. They were also grazed for 8 h daily (denoted as treatment C). Feed resources for partial supplementation were analysed for proximate analysis, Van soest, in-vitro dry matter digestibility and mineral profiles. Molasses was spread on hay to increase palatability and intake. Chalbi salt was provided ad libitum to the supplemented group. All 30 sheep were weighed weekly. The data on sheep weights were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The mean sheep weight over the study period was higher among the supplemented group B (25.95 kg), followed by on-station research farm-managed group C (22.60 kg) and lastly farmer-managed group A (19.50 kg). Supplementation of sheep using local feed resources enhances weight gain and this is recommended, essentially in a weight-based marketing system. Keywords: Market, nutrients, sheep, supplement, weight.