Effect of selected factors on basic reproduction, growth and carcass traits and meat production in Texel sheep

Abstract

The objective of this work was to determine the effect of lambing year, sire effect, parity of ewes’ lambing (PL) and gender on selected indicators of meat production and fertility in a Texel sheep herd. The evaluation proceeded for a period of 5 years, when 356 ewe – lambs and 321 Texel ram – lambs were monitored. Processing of the data set was done by the SAS program, GLM procedure. The lambing year had a significant effect (P < 0.05; 0.01) on all indicators observed except litter size. The sire effect was found to be significantly (P < 0.05; 0.01) related to all indicators monitored. The significant differences (P < 0.01) were found in fat thickness and lambs’ muscularity. The frequency of lambs’ gender was not significantly affected by the litter size and number of lambs weaned. Lambs’ gender affected the MLLT depth of lambs nonsignificantly. Litter size, as well as the number of weaned lambs, increased with the higher PL (1.44 with primiparas, 2.17 with ewes at the 5th and subsequent lambings, P < 0.01; resp. 1.31 with primiparas, 2.01 with ewes at the 5th and subsequent lambings, P < 0.01). The live weight at 100 days of age was significantly lower in lambs from the 5th and following litters, as well as the daily gain from birth till 100 days of age (DG 100) and MLLT depth in comparison to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th litters (P < 0.05). On the average, ram – lambs reached a higher live weight at 100 days of age (+1.79 kg, P < 0.01), and DG 100 in contrast to female (+17.22 g, P < 0.01).

The effect of inbreeding on the growth ability of meat sheep breeds in the Czech Republic

“…In Texel, the weight at 100 days of age was 29.362 ± 0.144 kg. Similar weight was reported by Stolc et al (2011) in their study. Texel lambs weighed an average of 28.388 kg over the five years evaluated.…”

Analysis of Genotype, Dam's Litter Size and Their Interaction on Selected Productive Traits of Origin Wallachian and Sumava Sheep in the Czech Republic

“…As expected, higher values of lambs growth abilities were monitored in Suffolk, Charollais, Texel or Kent purebred populations (Štolc et al, 2011;Ptáček et al, 2013;Ptáček et al, 2015), indicating, that all these breeds should be used in sire position while potential crossing.…”

Methodological Fundamentals of the Creation of Specialized Meat Branch in Sheep Breeding of the Dnipro Region

“…The carcasses of these animals have less bones and tendons -cuts are more wellfleshed (heavier) 12 with an optimal correlation of protein and fat, and minerals have a light form for absorption. In the total mass of fat, its equal distribution on the top of carcass and intermuscular space prevails that contributes to the general cooking and eating qualities of meat 13 . And sheep of wool, milk, karakul type of productivity have a distinctive maldistribution of fat across the organs and tissues of carcasses.…”

“…893 p. DOI:10.1071/ea08054. 13 this context, as a rule, one uses a complex reproductive crossing with the use of two -three and more breeds of sheep of meat-wool and meat direction of productivity 14 , or exclusively meat, which mutually complement and enrich heredity of the obtained crossbreeds.…”