Vol. 12, Special Issue 12 (2023)

Author(s):
Shyam Singh Lakhawat and Dr. SP Tailor

Abstract:
The present investigation was undertaken to estimate the effect of different non-genetic factors affecting the growth performance traits of Sonadi sheep. The detailed information of 1396 Sonadi sheep regarding growth performance traits maintained over the period of 2012-2019 under the Mega Sheep Seed Project (ICAR) at College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Navania, Vallabhnagar, Udaipur district of Rajasthan was collected. The various growth performance traits like body weight, relative growth rate (RGR) and growth efficiency (GE) were studied and data's were classified into different groups (year of birth, season of birth, sex of animal and type of lambing) for different traits (BWT, 3WT, 6WT, 9WT, 12WT, 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12) under investigation. The body weight at birth, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months were estimated during the period of 2012-2019. Lowest estimates were observed in the early period for all growth traits except 12 months body weight. Highest estimates were observed in late period for body weight at 3 M, 6 M, 9 M and 12 M, respectively. Year of lambing showed an increasing trend over the year for weight at 9months of age. The influence of year on body weight could be the result of changes in environmental factors. The increase in body weight over the year may be due to improvement in breeding and management practices. The relative growth rate and growth efficiency during the pre-weaning phase showed improvement over the years and it may be due to improvement in management practices for suckling lambs.