Response of Welsh Mountain ewes to flushing and to housing for all or part of the winter

Abstract

ABSTRACTThere was no evidence from three experiments with 60, 600 and 400 Welsh Mountain ewes producing mostly single lambs that housing, tested as an extreme form of shelter, was of benefit to reproductive performance. This was so when the ewes were kept indoors throughout the whole of the winter, or only at mating or during late pregnancy. Also, housing during early lactation did not lead to improved lamb growth rate.Housing at lambing was associated in two experiments with reductions in perinatal lamb mortality from 5·1% to 3·1% and from 7·2% to 5·9%, though the differences were not significant.Flushing had no significant effect on conception rate or reproductive performance, but the data were in accord with the view that when applied to ewes in moderately thin condition it leads to reduced barrenness and some increase in twinning.