Factors affecting ewe performance in a crossbred dairy sheep research flock in the United States

The Spooner Agricultural Research Station operated the only dairy sheep research flock in North America through 2016. The original nondairy ewe flock was "bred up" to a crossbred dairy flock through the use of rams and semen of the East Friesian (EF) and Lacaune (LA) dairy breeds. The objective of this study was to determine the environmental and nonadditive genetic effects that influence performance of dairy ewes. The traits analyzed were 180 d adjusted milk (180d MY), fat (180d FY), and protein (180d PY) yields, percentage fat (%F) and protein (%P) in milk, lactation average somatic cell score (LSCS), and number of lambs born per ewe lambing (NLB). The univariate repeatability models included the fixed effects of year of lambing, age, weaning system (except for the trait of NLB), individual breed composition, and individual retained heterosis along with the random additive genetic, permanent environmental, and residual effects. Estimates of heritability were moderate for 180d MY (0.32 ± 0.04), 180d FY (0.26 ± 0.04), and 180d PY (0.29 ± 0.04), high for %F (0.54 ± 0.04) and %P (0.61 ± 0.04), and low for LSCS (0.12 ± 0.03) and NLB (0.08 ± 0.02). Ewes that reared their lambs had lower ( < 0.01) 180d MY, 180d FY, 180d PY, %F, and %P and higher ( < 0.001) LSCS than ewes that had their lambs removed shortly after parturition. Relative to nondairy breeding, EF and LA breeding had positive ( < 0.001) effects on 180d MY, 180d FY, and 180d PY, but a negative ( < 0.03) effect on %P. Purebred EF ewes were predicted to have lower ( < 0.001) %F than purebred LA or nondairy ewes. Purebred LA ewes were predicted to have a higher ( < 0.001) LSCS than purebred EF or nondairy ewes. Purebred EF ewes were expected to be more ( < 0.001) prolific than purebred LA or nondairy ewes. Individual retained heterosis had a favorable ( < 0.01) effect on 180d MY, 180d FY, 180d PY, and NLB. Knowledge of the factors affecting dairy ewe performance are important for dairy sheep producers to make more informed husbandry and breeding decisions.