Evaluation of ewe performance in 795 selected sheep flocks in south-easternNorway
Simensen E; Hauge S
Abstract A study of ewe performance was undertaken in 795 sheep flocks based on datafrom the Norwegian Sheep Recording System. Herd level data included in the annual report for 1998were used as the basis for the study Average flock size was 75.3 ewes. The material was consideredas representative of the better and more motivated sheep farmers in the mountain valley regions insouth-eastern Norway. The average number of lambs born per ewe, inclusive (and exclusive) of barrenewes, was 1.89 (2.02), and of autumn lambs (those surviving from birth in the spring to autumn) 1.60(1.66). The average autumn weight of the lambs corrected to 145 days of age was 42.4 kg, giving anoverall performance of 67.9 kg lambs live weight per ewe. When including artificially reared lambs,overall performance was 70.4 kg per ewe.
Keywords Epidemiology; Ewe performance; Lamb mortality; Sheep production
Acta agriculturae Scandinavica. Section A, Animal science
0906-4702, Volume 53, Issue 3, 2003, Pages 120-126
