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Lambing Ease is Heritable but not Correlated to Litter Size in Danish Meat Sheep Breeds

Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Posters (The Westin Bayshore)
Anders Christian Sørensen , Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
Premysl Valasek , Czech University of Agriculture, Prague, Czech Republic
Jørn Pedersen , Knowledge Centre for Agriculture, Aarhus, Denmark
Elise Norberg , Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
Abstract Text:

The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters of lambing ease (LE) and litter size (LS) in four common Danish meat sheep breeds. Data from 1990 to 2006 were analysed. A bivariate animal model was used for estimation of genetic parameters. Lambing ease showed a low heritability, both for direct (1.4% to 9.5%) and maternal (5.9% to 6.9%) genetic effects. Moderate negative direct-maternal genetic correlations (-0.18 to -0.61) was found. Total heritabilities for LE were 3.8% to 9.7%. Litter size showed also a low heritability (6.4% to 9.0%). Low and non-significant correlations between the LE and LS was found, which means that selection to improve one trait should not affect the other trait. Lambing ease should therefore be included in the selection criterion.

Keywords:

lambing ease

heritability

litter size

genetic correlation

meat sheep breed

See more of: Posters: Sheep and Goats Breeding (Group 3)
See more of: Species Breeding: Sheep and goats
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