Analysis of production records from a lowland sheep flock 3. Phenotypic and genetic parameters for reproductive performance

Abstract

SUMMARYPhenotypic and genetic parameters for reproductive performance in a flock of Clun Forest ewes have been estimated. Average litter size (ALS) appeared to be more repeatable than the number of lambs born per ewe mated and present at lambing (NLBEM), and the estimates obtained by regression (0·15 and 0·14) were slightly higher than those from the analyses of variance (0·12 and 0·09). The repeatability of barrenness was very low (0·05). It was concluded that little scope existed for the improvement of reproductive performance from a regular policy of culling.Estimates of heritability by analysis of variance and a method for all-or-none traits were 0·12 and 0·11 for ALS, and 0·15 and 0·10 for NLBEM, whereas barrenness was less heritable (0·07). An estimate of 016 was found for the heritability of ALS performance over two years. The phenotypic correlation between body weight and reproductive performance were positive yet small (ALS:+0·16; NLBEM:+0·10), while at the genetic level ALS was more strongly related to body weight (+0·21) than NLBEM (-0·04). The genetic regressions indicated that an increase of 5 lambs per 100 ewes lambing would accompany genetic gain of 5 kg in ewe body weight, while an increase of 1 lamb per ewe lambing would lead to a correlated response in body weight of 5 kg.Selection for ALS on the basis of dams' performance, within the flock studied, would be expected to yield a rate of progress of 2% per annum.