Genetic parameters of reproduction traits in German meat and milk sheep breeds

In this study a genetic statistical analysis of reproduction traits was performed using 111733 lambings of the meat sheep breeds German Black-Headed Mutton, German Mutton Merino, Leine, Texel, Suffolk, German White Headed mutton and Bleu du Maine and 9357 lambings of the milk sheep breeds East Frisian Milk Sheep and German Black-Braun Milk Sheep. The data were provided by sheep breeding organisations from Lower Saxony and Westphalia. Reproduction traits included early lambing (≤550 days), late lambing (> 550 days), first lambing interval, second lambing interval and total number of lambs born. Three different linear animal models were used for the analysis of these traits. The heritabilities ranged between breeds from h2= 0.28 to 0.50 for the trait early lambing, between h2= 0.22 and 0.42 for the trait late lambing, between h2= 0.10 and 0.54 for the first lambing interval, between h2= 0.02 and 0.28 for the second lambing interval and between h2= 0.04 and 0.13 for the total number of lambs born. Additive genetic correlations between the first three parity numbers were high for the total number of lambs born. Additive genetic correlations between early lambing and first lambing interval as well as between first and second lambing interval were moderate and negative.

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