COMPARATIVE STUDY ON LIVE WEIGHT AND BODY MEASUREMENTS IN SHEEP OF SYNTHETIC POPULATION BULGARIAN MILK AND THEIR CROSSES WITH AWASSI BREED

T. Ivanova, E. Raicheva

Abstract: The aim of the study was to compare the live weights and the body measurements of sheep from the Synthetic population Bulgarian milk and their crosses with Awassi breed at different ages. The study was carried out with 20 animals, divided into 2 groups (10 animals in each), raised in the experimental base of IAS – Kostinbrod. Four consecutive measurements of the animals were done at different ages– at 6 months, 9 month, 1.5 and 2.5 year. The live weight was measured in the morning before feeding, after a 12 hour starvation, with accuracy to 0.1 kg.
The body measurements were done at fixed animal on flat areа, with accuracy to 0.5 cm. Following measurements were performed: wither height, chest width, chest depth, athwart body length, flank eminences width. The information was calculated by the methods of variation statistics using a computer program EXCEL, 2003. It wasn’t established significant differences between the average values of the live weight and the body measurements. Only at 6 months of the age there was significant effect of crossing (F = 8.76 **), where the average value of the wither height of the crosses (57.45 cm) was significantly higher compared to pure breed ewe lambs (51.15 cm).

Keywords: body measurements; crosses from Awassi breed; live weight; Synthetic population Bulgarian milk

Date published: 2017-03-14