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Heritability of Gain of Lambs Measured at Different Times and by Different Methods

Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station¹, Stillwater

Abstract

Data were collected on 671 crossbred milk lambs contained in 31 sire-progeny groups over a 4-year period. Heritability estimates for rate of gain using two methods of measuring gain, over three growth periods, with and without birth weight as a covariable, were calculated by the paternal half-sib correlation method.

The resulting heritability estimates for rate of gain from birth to approximately 50 lb. ranged from 0.09±0.07 to 0.13±0.08. The estimates for rate of gain from approximately 50 to 90 lb. were 0.38±0.13. The heritability estimates for rate of gain from birth to market weight of approximately 90 lb. ranged from 0.34±.12 to 0.36±0.12.

The results of this study indicate that the method of calculating rate of gain has little effect on the heritability estimate. Likewise when birth weight was deleted from the model, the resulting heritability estimate was approximately the same as the estimate calculated when birth weight was included in the model as a covariable.

It is further suggested that it is possible to measure the genetic gaining ability of early maturing lambs after much of the variation caused by varying milk supply has diminished and prior to the usual market weight.

¹ In cooperation with Animal Husbandry Research Division, A.R.S., U.S.D.A.

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