Variation in fleece characteristics of Awassi sheep at different ages

Fleece characteristics have economic significance in sheep. When assessing fiber characteristics, the importance of sex, age of sheep and the body location of the sample taken are important considerations. Triplicate fleece samples were obtained from the shoulder, right mid-side and hip of 12 male and 17 female lambs (6-10 months), 62 yearling ewes (14-20 months) and 235 mature ewes (28-84 months) by hand shearing. The greasy fleece weight, staple length, fiber length and fiber diameter measures were 2.1+/-0.03kg, 14+/-0.18cm, 24+/-0.26cm and 36+/-0.33&mgr;m, respectively. Correspondingly, the medullated fibers, inner coat, outer coat and kemp fibers were 11.6+/-0.33, 59.7+/-0.29, 34.0+/-0.23 and 6.3+/-0.16%, respectively. Age had a significant influence on body weight and greasy fleece weight, but male and females were similar. Body location of the sample had a significant effect on the fiber diameter, and percentages of medullated fibers, kemp fibers, and inner coat fibers. The finest fibers and a lower percentage of medullated fibers were found on the shoulder and mid-side, whereas, the percentage of inner coat fibers was highest on the hip. Although there was no significant interaction between body location and age-sex groups for fiber characteristics, it was important for staple and fiber length (P<0.05). The wide variation in fiber diameter and percentage of medullated fibers suggest potential for improvement of economical traits.