Lower Reproductive Rate and Lamb Survival Contribute to Lower Lamb Marking Rate in Maiden Ewes Compared to Multiparous Ewes.

ABSTRACT: Suboptimal reproductive performance of maiden (primiparous) ewes remains a source of inefficiency for the Australian sheep industry. However, the extent and causes of the poorer reproductive performance of maiden ewes on Australian sheep farms are not well understood. Here, we show the reproductive performance of maiden ewes relative to their multiparous counterparts on the same farms across Australia using a cohort survey. The difference in marking rate for non-Merino maiden ewe lambs compared to multiparous ewes was 58% (74 vs. 132%; p < 0.001), and this was attributable to a 50% difference in reproductive rate (109 vs. 159%; p < 0.001) and 16% difference in lamb survival to marking (67 vs. 83%; p < 0.001). The difference in marking rate for maiden Merino two-tooth ewes lambing at approx

SUBMITTER: Hutchison D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8868299 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature