Effects of Breeding Ewe Lambs on Reproductive Performance Longevity.

Commodities

• Animals: sheep

Practices

• Animal Production: livestock breeding

Currently range sheep producers hold off breeding ewe lambs until
they are 18 months of age.  In a previous grant we showed an
economic benefit for breeding ewe lambs. Producers were concerned
with the productive longevity of the ewe lambs.  We want to
follow-up our previous grant (FW22-394) and follow the ewes for
three more years, five years total.  We want to add an
additional 75 ewe lambs to our data.  We will determine the
difference in ewe live weight and lamb weights between ewe lambs
bred and ewes bred at 18-months. Breeding ewe lambs will give
producers another management tool for increasing productivity and
profitability.

We will follow the ewes from our previous grant, breed
twenty-five additional ewe lambs and determine the affects of ewe
weight on lambs weights between breeding ewe lambs and yearling
ewe lambs.  Each ewe and lamb identified with EID tags and
followed with the Gallagher Animal Management system. Weights of
ewes and lambs, and number of lambs will be taken at lambing,
when the sheep are moved from spring range to summer range and at
weaning.   

We hypothesize that the breeding of ewe lambs will not affect the
production longevity of breeding ewe lambs.  If this is the
case, the economic value ranges from $80 to $90 per ewe. 
The ewe lambs are more likely to have twins their second year
where as those bred at 18 months are more likely to have
singles.  

We will produce a pamphlet to distribute to producers and have a
questionnaire to get their feedback.  We will also present
our findings at an animal conference and submit a manuscript of
the findings in a academic publication.

Objective 1:  Continue to monitor ewe lambs that were
bred from our previous grant (FW22-394) to determine lamb
production for five years.

Objective 2:   Increase the number of ewe lambs
bred, adding more ewes to the ewes from grant #FW22-394.

Objective 3:   Determine the difference in ewe
live weight and lamb weights between ewe lambs bred and those
that were bred at 18 months. 

Objective 4:   Disseminate our findings to
producers and academia through pamphlets, scientific manuscript
and conference talk.