Adult body weight of indigenous and crossbred ewes under semi-arid conditions in India.
Data on adult body weight of ewes belonging to Nali, Chokla breeds and their crosses (F1) with Rambouillet and Soviet Merino raised under semi-arid conditions in India were analysed. The ewes belonged to 5 distinct age groups ranging from 16.5 to 64 months. Nali and Chokla were significant lighter than all the 4 crossbred groups. There were no significant differences in body weight between crossbred groups except in the case of Soviet Merino x Chokla group which was the lightest and differed significantly from all other groups. Rambouillet crosses were heavier than Merino crosses but the difference was statistically significant only on Rambouillet x Chokla and Merino x Chokla. The improvement in body weight in crossbreds over native sheep ranged between 9.3 and 21.88%. The increase in live weight was significant only up to 49 months.
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D001947:Breeding; D002980:Climate; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005260:Female; D007194:India; D012756:Sheep / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity