Potential for early breeding of Kivircik (Western Thrace) ewes

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the possibility of early breeding of ewe lambs in Kivirick sheep breed. Mating and reproduction performances were investigated in normally mated (15-16 months-old) and early mated (7 months old) females. The rates of pregnancy, lambing, single birth, survival up to weaning, the number of lambs born per ewe lambing and the number of the weaning lambs per ewe lambed were found as 78.33 and 94.33%, 78.33 and 94.33%, 91.49 and 89.00%, 90.20 and 96.67%, 1.09 and 1.20, 0.98 and 1.16, respectively, in early and normally mated ewes. Though early breeding resulted in lower fertility, twinning and lambs born and weaned per ewe lambed, saving of eight months is an important factor to recommend early mating.