Productive performance of ewes mated in summer or autumn in Northern Parana.

摘要

This study was conducted to evaluate the productive performance of ewes mated in the summer or autumn during 4 breeding seasons. A total of 233 ewes of the Corriedale (n=55), Hampshire Down (n=116), Ile-de-France (n=40) and Suffolk (n=22) breeds, with 2 to 8 teeth, were used in this study. The lambing rate was greater (P<0.05) in ewes mated in autumn (89.1%) than in summer (79.7%). On the other hand, no differences (P>0.05) were observed between ewes mated in autumn or summer for weaning, twinning and lamb mortality rates and production of kg of lambs per kg of mated ewe. The breed and age of ewe and year of evaluation influenced (P<0.05) the body weight and weight gains of ewes and lambs. However, it did not affect (P>0.05) the production of kg of lambs per kg of mated ewe. In the northern region of the Parana state, ewes could be mated in the summer or autumn.