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Effects of Sex Alteration, Breed, Type of Rearing and Creep Feeding on Lamb Growth

U. S. Department of Agriculture, Clay Center, Nebraska 68933

Abstract

Eight hundred and seventy-three lambs from seven breeds were used in a study to determine the effects of sex alteration, breed, type of rearing and creep feeding on lamb growth. Rams, rams implanted with 3 mg DES and short scrotum lambs had heavier weaning weights and higher weights per day of age at weaning than wethers. Rams implanted with DES were not different from non-implanted intact rams in the growth and carcass traits measured in this study. Significant (P<.001) breed-sex treatment interactions were observed for weight per day of age at slaughter and carcass grade. Intact rams, rams implanted with 3 mg DES and short scrotum rams gained faster than wethers in all breeds except the purebred Targhee and Navajo. With the exception of the higher carcass grade for Coarse Wool ram lambs, wethers and short scrotum males had higher carcass grades than intact rams and rams implanted with DES.

Type of rearing had more effect on pre-weaning growth than type of birth, with little compensatory post-weaning growth response to compensate for pre-weaning differences. Creep feeding had no effect on lamb gains, due primarily to the limited feed intake.

¹ U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Animal Science Research Division, A.R.S.