M. KOYUNCU, S.KARAUZUN and S. OZIS
University of Uludag, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science, 16059 Bursa, Turkey
KOYUNCU, M., S.KARAUZUN and S. OZIS, 2007. Potential for early breeding of Kivircik (Western Thrace) ewes. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 13: 555-561
This study was carried out to investigate the possibility of early breeding ewe lambs of Kivircik sheep breed. Mating and reproduction performances were investigated in normally mated (15-16 months old ) and early mated (7 months old ) females.
The average live weights determined before mating were 39.69 and 41.60 kg and after lambing 47.95 and 46.90 kg respectively in early and normally mated ewes. The rates of pregnancy, lambing, infertility, single birth, twinning, death, survival up to weaning, the number of lambs born per ewe lambing and the number of the weaning lambs per ewe lambed were found as 78.33 and 94.33 %, 78.33 and 94.33 %, 21.67 and 5.67 %, 91.49 and 89.00 %, 8.51 and 20.00 %, 9.80 and 3.12 %, 90.20 and 96.88 %, 1.09 and 1.20, 0.98 and 1.16 respectively in early and normally mated ewes.
The difference between the characteristics investigated except death rate and survival rate were found significant (P< 0.01 ).