Assessment of the effect of the year of birth on the growth performance of Ile de France lambs

Tanya Ivanova

Abstract: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the year of birth on the growth performance of
Ile de France lambs. The study included 474 lambs (230 females and 244 males) of different type of
birth (singles, twins, triplets and more) from the herd of the Institute of Animal Science – Kostinbrod
for the period 2016–2020. The live weight of the lambs was measured at birth, 10 days of age,
and between 30 and 70 days of age. The average daily gain was determined between 10 and 30 days
and between 30 and 70 days of age. The effect of the year on the examined parameters was assessed
through one way ANOVA, using Data Analysis package of Excel 2016, Microsoft. The year of birth affected significantly the live weight of the female lambs with different birth type, except the singles,
as well as of the males both singles and twins. Furthermore, the year of birth had significant effect on
the weight gain between 10 and 30 days in both sexes with different type of birth, and also between
30 and 70 days in the male and female singles and twins.

Keywords: effect of the year of birth; Ile de France; live weight; weight gain

Date published: 2021-10-22