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Physiological Factors Affecting Frequency and Rate of Lambing¹

U. S. Department of Agriculture and Utah State University^,4

Abstract

Data have been presented which suggest that a combination of breeding, management and hormonal therapy makes two lamb crops per year entirely feasible. Twenty-four percent of an experimental group of sheep actually completed two consecutive breedings and pregnancies within approximately a 12-mo. period.

Although two lambings per year are physiologically possible, much basic research is needed before a large proportion of ewes can be consistently induced to produce two lamb crops per year. However, this should be the goal, as two lambings per year have many management and economic advantages over other lambing frequencies, such as three lamb crops in two years.

Considerable progress has also been made in increasing the number of lambs born. Continued effort should be made to devise means to increase not only the number but also the viability of lambs produced.

¹ Invited paper presented at the Sheep Session, 58th Annual Meeting, American Society of Animal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

² U. S. Sheep Experiment Station, Dubois, Idaho.

³ Utah State University, Logan, Utah.

⁴ From the U. S. Sheep Experiment Station, Sheep and Fur Animal Research Branch, Animal Husbandry Research Division, A.R.S., Dubois, Idaho, in cooperation with the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho and from Utah State University. Published with the approval of the Director of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, Logan, as Research Paper No. 601.