A comparison of Dorset and Finnish Landrace crossbred ewes

Data from 644 exposures and 552 lambings were used to analyze reproductive traits of 1/2-Finnish Landrace, 1/2-Dorset ewes (1/2 Finn); 1/4-Finnish Landrace, 3/4-Dorset ewes, (1/4 Finn) and Dorset ewes. Ewes were exposed to Hampshire or Suffolk rams for spring lambing from 1973 to 1978. The analytical model included fixed effects of ewe birth year (EBY), ewe breed (BR), lambing year within EBY and EBY X BR interaction and random effects of ewe within EBY and BR. Conception rate differed (P less than .01) for 1/2-Finn (.94), 1/4-Finn (.88) and Dorset (.80) ewes. Litter size was highest (P less than .01) for 1/2-Finns (1.97), followed by 1/4-Finns (1.74) and Dorsets (1.44). The 1/2-Finn ewes ranked first for number and weight of lambs weaned, and for number and weight marketed as feeder lambs. Birth weights were heavier (P less than .001) for lambs with Dorset dams (3.88 kg) than for lambs with 1/4-Finn (3.24 kg) or 1/2-Finn (3.08 kg) dams. Preweaning average daily gains and adjusted 90-d weights were also larger (P less than .001) for lambs with Dorset dams (.26 kg/d and 28.3 kg, respectively) than for lambs with 1/4-Finn (.24 kg/d and 25.4 kg) or 1/2-Finn (.24 kg/d and 25.1 kg) dams. However, Dorset ewes lambed an average of 10.5 d later than Finn-cross ewes, and actual weaning weights (unadjusted for age) did not differ significantly among lambs from Dorset (27.2 kg), 1/4-Finn (26.9 kg) and 1/2-Finn ewes (26.7 kg).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)