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Relationships between Ewe Milk Production and Composition and Preweaning Lamb Weight Gain¹

Oregon State University, Corvallis, 97331

Abstract

Fifty-six 3- and 4-year-old ewes from eight crossbred groups were hand milked and their lambs weighed approximately every 2 weeks for a 105-day lactation period to study relationships of ewe milk production (MP), percentage milk protein (PMP) and percentage milk fat (PMF) to preweaning weight gain (G) of single and twin lambs. Regression coefficients of G on MP and corresponding correlations were large and significant toward the start of lactation and generally decreased as lactation progressed. For the entire lactation, regressions of G on MP were .11 kg/liter (P<.05) and .07 kg/liter (P<.05), while correlations between G and MP were .64 (P<.01) and .55 (P<.01) for single and twin lambs, respectively. G of single lambs was predicted most accurately from MP and PMP, while in twin lambs milk composition terms did not improve the precision in predicting G from information on MP alone. Breed of dam influenced G of twin lambs but was nonsignificant for G of single lambs. Lamb sex did not significantly influence MP or G. Regression equations for predicting milk production from weight gain of single and twin lambs were also obtained. For the entire lactation, the regression coefficients were 3.74 liters/kg (P<.05) and 4.27 liters/kg (P<.05) for single and twin lambs, with r² values of .41 and .30, respectively. Single lambs gained more weight during lactation than did individual twin lambs. The total gain of twin sets, however, was much greater than the gain of single lambs.

¹ Technical Paper No. 5255, Oregon Agri. Exp. Sta. Contribution to North-Central Regional Project NC-111, Increased Efficiency of Lamb Production.

² Dept. of Anim. Sci.

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