An evaluation of genetic variation in gestation length, birthweight and early growth in Scottish Blackface sheep

Birth weight (BW) and gestation length (GL) have important implications for the survival and early vigour of the lamb, in turn affecting the early growth. In hill sheep BW and early growth have low heritabilities, when considered as a trait of the lamb. They are highly influenced by maternal genetic effects and non genetic effects such as litter size, date of birth and the environment. When studying hill sheep there are also problems obtaining accurate records of birth weights and early growth and it is normally impossible to obtain accurate measures of GL. Exploitation of the genetic variation in the traits BW, GL and early growth could be useful in breeding programmes to reduce early mortality and improve vigour in lambs.

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An evaluation of genetic variation in gestation length, birthweight and early growth in Scottish Blackface sheep

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0308229600030762 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 1996 ◽

pp. 108-108

Author(s):

P Johnston ◽

J A Roden ◽

A Murray ◽

B Merrell ◽

W Haresign

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Litter Size ◽

Early Growth ◽

Genetic Effects ◽

Early Mortality ◽

Gestation Length ◽

Early Vigour ◽

Breeding Programmes

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The impact of maternal genetic merit and country of origin on ewe reproductive performance, lambing performance and ewe survival

Translational Animal Science ◽

10.1093/tas/txab070 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

N Fetherstone ◽

N McHugh ◽

T M Boland ◽

F M McGovern

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Litter Size ◽

Country Of Origin ◽

Reproductive Traits ◽

Gestation Length ◽

Genetic Merit ◽

Genetic Groups ◽

One Year ◽

The Impact

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the ewe’s maternal genetic merit and country of origin (New Zealand or Ireland) on ewe reproductive, lambing and productivity traits. The study was performed over a four year period (2016 to 2019) and consisted of three genetic groups: high maternal genetic merit New Zealand (NZ), high maternal genetic merit Irish (High Irish) and low maternal genetic merit Irish (Low Irish) ewes. Each group contained 30 Suffolk and 30 Texel ewes, selected based on the respective national maternal genetic indexes; i.e. either the New Zealand Maternal Worth (New Zealand group) or the €uro-star Replacement index (Irish groups). The impact of maternal genetic merit on reproductive traits such as litter size; lambing traits such as gestation length, birth weight, lambing difficulty, mothering ability, and productivity traits such as the number of lambs born and weaned were analyzed using linear mixed models. For binary traits, the impact of maternal genetic merit on reproductive traits such as conception to first AI service; lambing traits such as dystocia, perinatal lamb mortality and productivity traits such as ewe survival were analyzed using logistic regression. New Zealand ewes outperformed Low Irish ewes for conception to first AI (P<0.05) and litter size (P=0.05). Irish ewes were more likely to suffer from dystocia (6.84 (High Irish) and 8.25 (Low Irish) times) compared to NZ ewes (P<0.001); birth weight and perinatal mortality did not differ between groups (P>0.05). Lambs born from NZ ewes were 4.67 (95% CI: 1.89 to 11.55; P<0.001) and 6.54 (95% CI: 2.56 to 16.71; P<0.001) times more likely to stand up and suckle unassisted relative to lambs born from High or Low Irish ewes, respectively. New Zealand and High Irish ewes had a greater number of lambs born and weaned throughout the duration of the study compared to their Low Irish counterparts (P<0.001). New Zealand ewes tended to be more likely to survive from one year to the next compared to Low Irish ewes (P=0.07). Irish ewes of high maternal genetic merit outperformed their Low counterparts in total number of lambs born and weaned per ewe, but performance did not differ across other traits investigated. This highlights the importance of continuous development of the Irish maternal sheep index to ensure favourable improvements in reproductive, lambing and productivity traits at farm level. Overall, results demonstrate the suitability of NZ genetics in an Irish production system.

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Genetic analyses of piglet survival and individual birth weight on first generation data of a selection experiment for piglet survival under outdoor conditions

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200019682 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 2007 ◽

pp. 65-65

Author(s):

R. Roehe ◽

N. P. Shrestha ◽

W. Mekkawy ◽

P. W. Knap ◽

K. M. Smurthwaite ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Litter Size ◽

Genetic Improvement ◽

First Generation ◽

Genetic Parameters ◽

Selection Experiment ◽

Postnatal Mortality ◽

Breeding Programmes ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Piglet Survival

Peri- and postnatal mortality of piglets is reported to be around 20% and genetic improvement in piglet survival has great potential benefits in terms of animal welfare, economics and the environment. The indication of an unfavourable genetic correlation between litter size and survival in particular points to the importance of including piglet survival in those pig breeding programmes that currently only aim to increase litter size. Phenotypically, individual birth weight is closely associated with piglet survival (Roehe and Kalm, 2000). Genetic parameters for piglet survival traits and individual birth weight therefore need to be estimated in order to genetically improve piglet survival efficiency

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The effect of nutrition in mid pregnancy and ewe liveweight change on birth weight and management for lamb survival in highly fecund ewes

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea9920001 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

NM Fogarty ◽

DG Hall ◽

PJ Holst

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Treatment Period ◽

Litter Size ◽

Late Pregnancy ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Gestation Length ◽

Nutritional Treatment ◽

Lamb Survival ◽

Staple Strength ◽

Fleece Weight

The effect of moderate undernutrition in mid pregnancy on lamb birth weight and survival of single- and multiple-bearing ewes is reported. A total of 1220 ewes of 3 crossbred types with different fecundity, Booroola Merino x Dorset (BD), Trangie Fertility Merino x Dorset (TD) and Border Leicester x Merino (BLM), were examined over 2 years. The treatments were low (L) and high (H) nutrition at pasture for 4 weeks from about day 75 of pregnancy. Ewe liveweight of the L group at the end of the treatments was 5 kg lower in 1984 and 8 kg lower in 1985 (P<0.01) than the H group. The differences were smaller by late pregnancy and post-lambing. The L treatment increased (P<0.01) birth weight by 0.16 kg in 1984 but had little effect in 1985. Litter size had the greatest effect on birth weight (P<0.01). Ewe crossbred type and lamb sex effects were also significant (P<0.01), although they tended to be reduced for higher order births. Nutritional treatment had no effect on gestation length. Ewe liveweight at joining and weight gains before and after the treatment period significantly affected birth weight and accounted for the large difference in birth weight between years (0.7 kg). Ewe weight gain during the treatment period in mid pregnancy had no significant effect on lamb birth weight. Nutritional treatment in mid pregnancy had no effect on lamb survival. Litter size significantly affected lamb survival, although inclusion of birth weight in the model reduced the effect. Weather conditions, as measured by chill index, significantly (P<0.01) affected lamb survival in 1984 but accounted for less variation in 1985 (P<0.05). Lamb survival for ewes was ranked BLM > TD > BD. Maximum survival was achieved at birth weights of 4-5 kg from BD and TD ewes and 5-6 kg from BLM ewes. The L treatment reduced (P<0.01) ewe greasy fleece weight by 0.15 kg but did not affect staple strength. Plasma glucose concentration at the end of treatment was lower (P<0.01) for L ewes, but there was no difference between L and H ewes in late pregnancy. Glucose declined with increasing fetal number. Plasma B-hydroxybutyrate concentration was lower for the H group than for L, and also for BLM than TD and BD ewes (P<0.01).

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Influence of season, litter size, parity, gestation length, birth weight, sex and farrowing pen on frequency of congenital splayleg in piglets

Livestock Production Science ◽

10.1016/0301-6226(89)90045-6 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 143-155 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

H. Van Der Heyde ◽

J.P. De Mets ◽

L. Porreye ◽

H. Henderickx ◽

A. Calus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Litter Size ◽

Gestation Length

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EVALUATION OF PRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCES OF BLACK BENGAL GOATS IN RAJSHAHI GOVERNMENT GOAT DEVELOPMENT FARM IN BANGLADESH

Journal of Veterinary Medical and One Health Research ◽

10.36111/jvmohr.2019.1(2).0012 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 201-210

Author(s):

M. I. Z. Moni ◽

M. A. Samad

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Litter Size ◽

Post Partum ◽

Economic Status ◽

Reproductive Traits ◽

Young Female ◽

Conception Rate ◽

Morbidity And Mortality ◽

Gestation Length ◽

Intensive System

Background: The Black Bengal goat (BBG) is well adapted food animals with profitable productive and reproductive traits being naturally reared to enhance economic status and food security in rural people. Bangladesh government has taken program through establishment of ‘Government Goat Development Farms’ (GGDF) to enhance the goat rearing activities of the smallholders at rural level but the research reports on the productive and reproductive performances of goats in these GGDF are very limited. Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the productive and reproductive performances of the BBG reared in semi-intensive system at the Rajshahi GGDF Materials and Methods: The Rajshahi GGDF had 398 goat populations of which 121 does were selected to study the productive and reproductive performances during the period from July 2010 to June 2011. The age of first estrus, conception rate by natural service, gestation length, post-partum heat, kidding interval, litter size, survivability of kids, morbidity and mortality of kids and their seasonal influence were studied. Results: The age of young female BBG showed 1st estrus varied from 180 to 270 with an average of 204  27 days. The conception rate varied from 88 to 100 with an average of 97% with natural services. The gestation length varied from 145 to 182 with an average of 150  5 days. The post-partum heat period varied from 60 to 90 days with an average of 69  7 days. The kidding interval varied from 199 to 268 with an average of 219  13 days. The litter size varied from 1 to 3 with an average of 2. Out of 234 kids borne, 47.44% were male and 52.56% female with higher mortality in male (10.81%) than female (5.69%) with an overall average mortality of 8.12%. There was no significant influence of season and parity on the birth weight of kids. However, the heavier birth weight of kids was recorded in male (1.38 kg) than female (1.17kg) kids. The birth of twin kids (56.41%) was found significantly (p < 0.0001) highest in comparison to triplets (26.92%), single (11.54%) and quadruplet (5.13%). Conclusions: The results support promising breeding and reproductive efficiency of BBG under local environmental conditions and therefore, there is a need to be improved milk yield of dam and control of morbidity and mortality in BBG kids. It may be concluded that the productive and reproductive performances of the BBG reared by using semi-intensive system of management appears to be encouraging at the Rajshahi GGDF which could be extended and compared to research findings with other four GGDF in Bangladesh.

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EFFECT OF PRE-COPULATORY TREATMENT WITH AQUEOUS LEAF EXTRACT OF Spondias mombin ON GESTATIONAL CHARACSTERISTICS OF RABBITS

Journal of Natural Sciences Engineering and Technology ◽

10.51406/jnset.v16i2.1851 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 83-87

Author(s):

A. A. OLOYE ◽

N. OBI

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Litter Size ◽

Leaf Extract ◽

Control Group ◽

Gestation Length ◽

Spondias Mombin ◽

Average Litter Size ◽

Aqueous Leaf Extract ◽

And Control

Fifteen plurigravida rabbits weighing between 2.0 and 2.6 kg were used for the study of gestational characteristics after pre-copulatory oral administration of aqueous leaf extract of Spondias mombin. The fifteen does were divided into three groups of five does per group. Four untreated reproductively proven bucks kept separately in different cages were used for copulation. Dosages administered were 400mg/kg and 800mg/kg for groups A and B respectively while distilled water was served to control group C. Mating, pregnancy diagnosis using ultrasound and determination of birth parameters were conducted subsequently at the end of extract treatment. Average litter size,birth weight and gestation length observed in all dosage groups had statistically similar values (p≥0.05).However, it is worth noting the relatively higher values of average litter size in 800mg/kg dosage group and control (5.60±0.40) compared to 400mg/kg group (5.40±0.75) and the highest birth weight value recorded for 800mg/kg (46.63±3.55) compared to 400mg\kg group (45.30±3.22) and control (42.38±3.74). It was concluded that pre-copulatory administration of aqueous leaf extract of Spondias mombin at dosages as high as 800mg/kg to rabbit does not have deleterious effect on its prolificacy and does have pro-fertility tendencies.

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Productive and reproductive performance of Saanen goat at AZZahra farm of Sandakan in Malaysia

Bangladesh Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.3329/bjas.v47i1.39395 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

MAMY Khandoker ◽

N Afini ◽

A Azwan

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Litter Size ◽

Reproductive Performance ◽

Dairy Goat ◽

Gestation Length ◽

Estrus Cycle ◽

Average Birth Weight ◽

Saanen Goat ◽

Age At Puberty

An experiment was conducted at AZ-Zahra Farm, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia to investigate the productive and reproductive performance of Saanen dairy goat. Body weight at different ages were collected once while birth weight was collected when does gave birth. On the other hand, milk production of each individual per day was received continuously for three months. The data on reproductive parameters such as length of estrus cycle, duration of estrus period, age at puberty, gestation length, age at first kidding, litter size, birth weight and kid mortality were noted. Descriptive statistics such as number, percentage, mean, standard deviation were performed. T-test was also conducted to know the statistical difference between the groups. Result demonstrated that body weight increases significantly (p<0.01) with the advancement of the age. The highest daily milk yield was found in 2-3 years of age. Dam with multiple kids produced more milk than dam with single kid. Estrus cycle of Saanen goats was found 21 days, the average estrus period duration was 2.75 days, age at puberty was 8.33 months, first kidding age was 14.2 months and gestation period was 150 days on an average. With the increase of the age of dam litter size increased. Meanwhile average birth weight increased as age of dam increased from 2.85 kg in 1 year to 3.26 kg in 3 years. Male kids born heavier than females (3.23±0.62 vs. 2.75±0.58 kg) and single kids were heavier than twin kids (3.07±0.66 kgvs2.70±0.28 kg). Low mortality rate of kids was recorded in this study (6.4%). It can be concluded that the overall productive and reproductive performances of Saanen goat at AZ-Zahra farm were within the acceptable level and the variation recorded in different parameters is very much usual. Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2018. 47 (1): 1-12

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Heritabilities for the puppy weight at birth in Labrador retrievers

BMC Veterinary Research ◽

10.1186/s12917-019-2146-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Claude Schelling ◽

Claude Gaillard ◽

Jane Russenberger ◽

Lou Moseley ◽

Gaudenz Dolf

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Litter Size ◽

Gestation Length ◽

Multiple Trait ◽

Adult Weight ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Inbreeding Coefficients ◽

Estimate Variance ◽

Labrador Retrievers ◽

Length Of Gestation

Abstract Background Weight at birth is an important predictor of neonatal mortality and morbidity in dogs. In addition, the birthweight of the puppies in a litter influences the decision to perform a cesarean section. The goal of the present study was to estimate heritabilities for the puppy birth weight in Labrador retrievers. Results Of the 1138 Labrador retriever litters whelped at the Guiding Eye for the Blind between September 2001 and February 2018, 1013 were included in the analyses after data editing. Puppy weight at birth was the target trait, measured on a continuous scale in pounds, and converted to grams. Linear mixed models were used to identify factors influencing puppy weight at birth. The analyses showed that the sex of the puppy, litter size, length of gestation, adult weight of the dam, parity, year of birth and inbreeding coefficient of the puppies and dams contributed to the variance of the puppy birth weight. Dam and litter effects were included as random effects. A multiple trait derivative free restricted maximum likelihood approach was used to estimate variance components and genetic parameters with two animal models, one without covariates (Model 1) and one with covariates (Model 2). Sex of the puppy and litter size had moderate effects, whereas gestation length, adult weight of the dam, parity, year of birth and inbreeding coefficients of the dam and the puppies had minor effects. Estimates for Model 1 and Model 2 were 0.21 and 0.17 for the direct heritabilities, 0.22 and 0.22 for the maternal additive genetic heritabilities, 0.07 and 0.07 for the maternal permanent environmental proportions, and 0.14 and 0.08 for the environmental proportion of the litter. Conclusions In order to estimate reliable breeding values for puppy weight at birth, sex of puppy, litter size, length of gestation and the adult weight of the dam should be included. Estimates could benefit from weighing the dams prior to each mating.

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Characters of economic importance in Welsh Mountain sheep

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0003356100034280 ◽

1962 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 269-278 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

D. C. Dalton

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Milk Production ◽

Milk Yield ◽

Early Growth ◽

Economic Importance ◽

Weaning Weight ◽

Good Guide ◽

Fleece Weight

1. The influence of seasonal, maternal and genetic variation on body weight and fleece characters of Welsh Mountain sheep is reported.2. Fertility and rearing ability of ewes improved from first to third lamb crop.3. Male lambs were on average 0·4 lb. heavier at birth than females. Birth weight increased with number of pregnancies of the dam.4. Early growth of the lamb between birth and marking (24 days old) used partly as a measure of milk production of the ewe, was greater in males than in females. Lambs born to older ewes made the greatest gains over this period, although the trend was not significant.5. Weaning weight of the lamb was affected by the dam's weight at tupping, the number of preceeding pregnancies, her milk yield and also by the season in which the lamb was born. Despite these effects weaning weight proved a good guide to the weight (at subsequent matings) at 1½ and 2½ years old.Heritability by intra-sire parent-offspring regression was 0·51±0·07 (P<0·001) and repeatability was 0·43 (P<0·001).6. Fleece weight was not affected by season or age of ewe. However, the heaviest lambs at weaning tended to have heaviest fleeces the following year.Heritability by intra-sire daughter-dam comparison was 0·58±0·11 (P<0·001) and repeatability was 0·46 (P<0·001).7. Staple length measured on the mid-side of the animal had a repeatability between years of 0·56 (P<0·001) while heritability by daughter-dam regression was 0·38±0·ll (P<0·001).8. Fourteen Welsh Mountain rams were progeny tested. Nine of the rams were purchased at local sales and 5 were home bred. They were not selected for the traits examined.No statistically significant differences were obtained between sire progeny groups for weaning weight and fleece weight.

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