RELATION OF SOME PRODUCTION TRAITS WITH TEMPERAMENT IN HUNGARIAN MERINO LAMBS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Cattle and Sheep Breeding, Szent István University Páter Károly str. 1, 2103 Gödöllő, Hungary.

Abstract

SUMMARY
We evaluated temperament of sheep using temperament test (temperament
score: assess behaviour of animals on a five-points scale, while spending 30
seconds on the weighing scale). Ten rams and twenty-two ewes of Hungarian
Merino (HM) lambs aged 65 days were fed-lot- on a forage mix for 49 days. The
relationships of the two sexes were not different in this breed (P= 0.38). Therefore
we contracted the two sexes. The 32 Hungarian Merino lambs were assigned into
four temperament categories (1. and 2. categories were combined because of the
small numbers). The lambs with good temperament (1. and 2. categories) had
higher average daily gains (409.7 g), compared to those having mixed (3- category)
(357.1 g), 4- category (321.7 g) and poor (5-category) temperament (311.8 g). The
live weight at the end of fattening showed a similar tendency: being good (39.5 kg),
mixed (37.3 kg), (34.0 kg) and poor (34.6 kg). The correlation of the temperament
scores were positive with the corresponding weight gains (HM: r=-0.53) and
slaughter weights (HM: r=-0.51) as well.

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