Some reproductive and growth traits of crossbred genotypes produced by crossing local sheep breeds of Kivircik x White Karaman and Chios x White Karaman in steppe conditions
Crossbreeding study reveals higher litter sizes in Chios-cross ewes, indicating improved reproductive capacity without compromising lamb growth or survival in steppe conditions.
Key Points
To evaluate the reproductive performance and offspring growth traits of Kivircik x White Karaman and Chios x White Karaman crossbred sheep raised under steppe environmental conditions.
Monitored 340 ewes and their offspring over a 3-year period under dry steppe conditions.
Compared purebred White Karaman with first-generation (F1), second-generation (F2), and backcross (B1) crosses of Kivircik and Chios breeds for reproductive output and lamb growth up to 180 days.
Litter size differed significantly among dams, reaching 1.52 for Chios x White Karaman F1 ewes versus 1.26 for White Karaman and 1.19 for Kivircik x White Karaman F1 ewes (P<0.05).
Weaning survival rates ranged between 87.3% and 95.7%, birth weights between 4.1 and 4.4 kg, weaning weights between 19.6 and 21.1 kg, and 180-day weights between 29.4 and 31.9 kg across genotypes, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05).