Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T14:53:42.661Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Breed and sex differences in equally mature sheep and goats 1. Growth and food intake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

M. L. Thonney ,
St C. S. Taylor  and
T. H. McClelland
M. L. Thonney
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research§, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JQ
St C. S. Taylor
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research§, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JQ
T. H. McClelland
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research§, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JQ
Get access

Abstract

Genetic size-scaling accounts for most of the variation found among mammalian species in food intake and growth rate, with food conversion efficiency independent of the body size of the species. Is the same true of breeds and strains within species?

Animals from Soay, Welsh Mountain, Southdown, Finish Landrace, Jacob, Wiltshire Horn and Oxford Down sheep breeds and from a breed of feral goats were grown to 0·40, 0·52, 0·64 or 0·76 of the mean mature weight of their breed and sex. Food was offered ad libitum and individually recorded.

Allometric growth coefficients were obtained for fleece weight, femur weight and femur length. Fleece was late maturing and femur early.

Breed and sex size-scaling coefficients, obtained by regression of breed and sex means on mature size, were similar to those found at the species level for age from conception to slaughter, time taken to mature and food conversion efficiency. Coefficients were higher than expected for total and daily food consumption, especially at early stages of maturity. Most breed coefficients were close to expectation while sex coefficients were somewhat higher than expected.

There were significant breed deviations: Welsh Mountain, Oxford Down and probably Soay sheep required less time and Jacob sheep and feral goats required more time to mature than expected from differences in mature size. Soay and Welsh Mountain sheep appeared to be more efficient and feral goats and Jacob sheep less efficient food converters over the same maturity interval.

Type
Papers
Information
Animal Production , Volume 45 , Issue 2 , October 1987 , pp. 239 - 260
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Agricultural Research Council. 1980. The Nutrient Requirements of Ruminant Livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Bradford, G. E., Taylor, St C. S., Quirke, J. F. and Hart, R. 1974. An egg-transfer study of litter size, birth weight and lamb survival. Animal Production 18: 249–263.Google Scholar
Brody, S. 1945. Bioenergetics and Growth. Reinhold, New York.Google Scholar
Butterfield, R. M., Griffiths, D. A., Thompson, J. M., Zamora, J. and James, A. M. 1983. Changes in body composition relative to weight and maturity in large and small strains of Australian Merino rams. 1. Muscle, bone and fat. Animal Production 36: 29–37.Google Scholar
Butterfield, R. M. and Thompson, J. M. 1983. Changes in body composition relative to weight and maturity of large and small strains of Australian Merino rams. 4. Fat depots and bones. Animal Production 37: 423–431.Google Scholar
Donald, H. P. and Russell, W. S. 1970. The relationship between live weight of ewe at mating and weight of newborn lamb. Animal Production 12: 273–280.Google Scholar
Hammond, J. 1932. Growth and the development of Mutton Qualities in the Sheep. 2nd ed. Oliver an Boyd, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
McClelland, T. H., Bonaiti, B. and Taylor, St C. S. 1976. Breed differences in body composition of equally mature sheep. Animal Production 23: 281–293.Google Scholar
McClelland, T. H., Russel, A. J. F. and Jackson, T. H. 1973. Lamb growth, efficiency of food utilization and body fat at four stages of maturity in four breeds of different mature body weight. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (New Series) 2: 83 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
McDougall, D. S. A. 1979. British Sheep. The National Sheep Association, Tring.Google Scholar
McMahon, T. A. and Tyler Bonnes, J. 1984. On Size and Life. Freeman, Oxford.Google Scholar
Meyer, H. 1964. [Causes of birth weight variation in calves.] Zuchtungskunde 36: 303–316.Google Scholar
Moore, A. J. 1985. A mathematical equation for animal growth from embryo to adult. Animal Production 40: 441–453.Google Scholar
Rashevskey, N. 1961. Mathematical Principles in Biology and their Applications. Springfield, Ohio.Google Scholar
Russell, W. S. 1973. Compreg user's guide, IU/CR Series Report No. 5. Program Library Unit, Edinburgh Regional Computing Centre.Google Scholar
Taylor, St C. S. 1965. A relation between mature weight and time taken to mature in mammals. Animal Production 7: 203–220.Google Scholar
Taylor, St C. S. 1968. Time taken to mature in relation to mature weight for sexes, strains and species of domesticated mammals and birds. Animal Production 10: 157–169.Google Scholar
Taylor, St C. S. 1980. Genetic size-scaling rules in animal growth. Animal Production 30: 161–165.Google Scholar
Taylor, St C. S., Mason, M. A. and McClelland, T. H. 1980. Breed and sex differences in muscle distribution in equally mature sheep. Animal Production 30: 125–133.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. M. and Parks, J. R. 1983. Food intake, growth and mature size in Australian Merino and Dorset Horn sheep. Animal Production 36: 471–479.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. M. and Parks, J. R. 1985. Food intake, growth and body composition in Australian Merino sheep selected for high and low weaning weight. 3. Energy balance. Animal Production 40: 85–91.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. M., Parks, J. R. and Perry, D. 1985. Food intake, growth and body composition in Australian Merino sheep selected for high and low weaning weight. 1. Food intake, food efficiency and growth. Animal Production 40: 55–70.Google Scholar
Thonney, M. L., Heide, E. K., Duhaime, D. J., Nour, A. Y. M. and Oltenacu, P. A. 1981. Growth and feed efficiency of cattle of different mature sizes. Journal of Animal Science 53: 354–362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tulloh, N. M. 1964. The carcase composition of sheep, cattle and pigs as functions of body weight. In Carcase Composition and Appraisal of Meat Animals (ed. Tribe, D. E.), pp. 5.1–5.6, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Wainman, F. W., Smith, J. S. and Dewey, P. J. S. 1975. The nutritive value for sheep of ruminant diet AA6, a complete cobbed diet containing 30% barley straw. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 84: 109–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woolliams, J. A. and Wiener, G. 1983. A note on the growth and food consumption of crossbred lambs of five sire breeds. Animal Production 37: 137–140.Google Scholar