M. Atta*, and O.A. EL Khidir,
Animal Production Research Centre (APRC), P. 0. Box. 1355, Khartoum N., Sudan.
SUMMARY
The experiment was conducted to assess the productive potentials of a flock of 42 multiparous and 27 primiparous ewes of the Sudan Nilotic breed. The latter group (Young Ewes, YE) were offsprings from the former (Parent Flock, PF). Each age group was further divided into two subgroups referred to as PF-dura, PF-molasses, YE-dura and YE-molasses according to the diet offered. The two diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous, formulated from dura and groundnut cake (the dura based diet) or molasses and urea (the molasses based diet) as sources of energy and protein, respectively. Ewes were designated to subgroups in accordance to their age and live weight. The data obtained were examined by 2-way analysis of variance to study the effect of ewes’ age and diet treatments. The results showed that age of ewe and the diet treatment had no significant effects on the gestation (150.9±3.1 days), postpartum anoestrus (42.2±16.7 days) and lambing interval (206.1±24.7 days) periods. The experimental groups also showed no significant variations on the number of lambs born/ewe (1.0 to 1.118 lambs born/ewe) and total lambs birth weight/ewe (2.3 to 2.6 kg birth weight of lambs/ewe). Ewes fed on dura-based diet had heavier average lamb weaning weight/ewe (9.9 to 16.3 kg lamb weaning weight/ewe) than their fellow molasses fed mates of the same age group; however the differences were significant (P<0.05) only for PF-dura group. Whereas, Index 1 (17.3 to 29.2 kg weaning weight of lambs/ewe/year) of PF-dura group was significantly (P<0.05) higher than those of the other three groups, which were similar (P>0.05).
Ewes of PF groups had significantly (P<0.05) higher Index 2 (0.623 to 0.998 kg lamb’s weaning weight/kg ewe’s postpartum weight year) and Index 3 (1.426 to 2.312 kg lamb’s weaning weight/ ewe’s postpartum weight kg 75 /year) than their fellow mates of the YE groups. In this context the dura fed groups had higher indices (2 and 3) than their fellow mates fed
* Present address :
College Natural Resources Environmental Studies, University ofJuba, Sudan.
on molasses and the differences were significant (P<0.05) only between the PF groups. It was concluded that the Nilotic sheep studied have higher productivity indices due to their higher lambing frequency although they have normal litter size, and that nominates them as a suitable breed for meat production under intensive systems of the Sudan.
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