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Journal of Animal Science, Vol 70, Issue 11 3333-3344, Copyright © 1992 by American Society of Animal Science

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Increased litter size in Rambouillet sheep: I. Estimation of genetic parameters

D. F. Waldron and D. L. Thomas
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.

The variance and covariance components needed to estimate heritabilities of and genetic correlations among litter size, ovulation rate, scrotal circumference, and BW in a flock of Rambouillet sheep were estimated using REML via an expectation-maximization type algorithm. The heritability estimates from univariate analyses were .14, .21, .25, .36, and .15 for litter size, ovulation rate, scrotal circumference, 180-d BW of females, and 180-d BW of males, respectively, and average heritability estimates from bivariate analyses were .19, .20, .20, .34, and .10 for litter size, ovulation rate, scrotal circumference, 180-d BW of females, and 180-d BW of males, respectively. The genetic correlation between litter size and ovulation rate was near unity. Body weight in ewes had a moderate genetic correlation with both litter size (.22) and ovulation rate (.20) and a low residual correlation with both litter size (.03) and ovulation rate (.09). The genetic correlation between BW in rams and scrotal circumference was 0, whereas the residual correlation was .71. The genetic correlations of scrotal circumference with litter size and ovulation rate were -.25 and +.20, respectively.


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J. Casellas, G. Caja, A. Ferret, and J. Piedrafita
Analysis of litter size and days to lambing in the Ripollesa ewe. II. Estimation of variance components and response to phenotypic selection on litter size
J Anim Sci, March 1, 2007; 85(3): 625 - 631.
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Copyright © 1992 by the American Society of Animal Science.