Effects of a two-breed and a three-breed rotational breeding strategy on ewe and lambperformance in hill flocks

摘要

Implications Horned ewes obtained from the criss-cross breeding strategy were as efficient (in terms of kg lamb/kg ewe)as ewes from the three-breed strategy, suggesting that they are the most suitable for hard hill conditions.Introduction In order to improve the sustainability of the hill sheep sector in the UK, previous research evaluated theperformance of ewes obtained from Scottish Blackface (BF) dams and a range of breeds. Crossbred ewes were found toproduce up to 12% more lambs at weaning compared with pure BF ewes (Annett et al 2011). This study compared theperformance of composite ewes obtained from a criss-cross breeding strategy (using in turn BF and Swaledale (SW) rams)or a rotational strategy where a third breed was introduced, in an attempt to increase the range of superior traits.