The effect of birth rank and age of dam on the reproductive performance of ewe replacements managed under New Zealand pastoral conditions : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract

Selecting replacement ewes that are born to ewe lambs is an uncommon practice in New Zealand; however, there is the opportunity to increase ewe efficiency and increase the rate of genetic gain if the practice is adopted. Lambs born to ewe lambs may be lighter until up to four years of age, compared with lambs born to mature ewes, however there are few unbiased comparisons of performance. The objective of this study was to compare the reproductive performance of replacements born to either mature ewes or ewe lambs. A study with 115 singletons or twins born to mature ewes or ewe lambs, found that singletons born to mature ewes were heaviest, twins born to mature ewes and singletons born to ewe lambs were intermediate, and twins born to ewe lambs were lightest for their lifetime to eight years of age. There was no difference in lifetime lamb production among these four groups, and there was no difference in the efficiency among the ewe groups, however the power of that study may have been limited by relatively low numbers of animals. A second study utilised 1082 mature ewes and 1026 ewe lambs, bred to the same rams at the same time, producing 2701 lambs, of which, 358 lambs were selected as replacements. Lambs born to ewe lambs were lighter than lambs of the same birth rank born to mature ewes from birth until weaning and had lower rates of survival at tagging and from tagging to weaning. The relationship between the probability of survival to weaning and birth weight was quadratic, and differed for each birth-rank-by-age-of-dam cohort. Lambs born to ewe lambs, and as triplets to mature ewes have lower rates of lamb survival and growth to weaning, so farmers need to prioritise time and resources to improve these. In the third study investigating reproductive performance of replacements born to either ewe lambs or mature ewes, 135 twins born to mature ewes, 135 singletons born to ewe lambs, and 88 twins born to ewe lambs were bred (if heavier than 39 kg at breeding) as ewe lambs. Of the ewe lambs that were heavy enough to be bred, there was no difference in the number or weight of lambs produced at weaning from the three groups, but twins born to ewe lambs were less likely to reach breeding weight targets. During their second breeding (at approximately 18 months), all ewes were bred, and there were no differences in the number or weight of lambs produced at weaning. This indicates that the offspring of ewe lambs could be selected as replacements, but that farmers need to consider selecting based on weight at weaning if they intend to breed the ewe lambs at eight months of age. Further work, including an economic analysis, and continued investigation into the lifetime production and efficiency of ewes born to ewe lambs is needed. Genomic technologies are currently being used by scientists to increase the accuracy of selection of replacement animals for traits that are difficult to measure in the adolescent at the time of selection. Reproductive performance as a ewe lamb has an impact on the lifetime production of a ewe, and live weight at the time of breeding can heavily influence the likelihood of the ewe lamb becoming pregnant during her first breeding. Using ewe lambs from the second and third studies, and additional ewe lambs, five gene regions were found to be associated with live weight at eight months of age in ewe lambs, and two gene regions were found to be associated with the occurrence of pregnancy during their first breeding at eight months of age. Further investigation into these, and other, gene regions associated with reproductive traits in ewe lambs could allow the use of marker assisted selection to identify genetically superior animals. In conclusion, farmers should prioritise their time and resources to improve lamb survival and lamb growth for lambs born as triplets to mature ewes, or as any birth rank to ewe lambs. Lambs born to ewe lambs could be selected as replacement ewes, if they are heavy enough to be bred themselves at eight months of age. Lambs born to ewe lambs may be lighter than lambs born to mature ewes for their entire lifetimes, but have similar reproductive performance. There is genomic control of traits such as live weight and pregnancy occurrence in ewe lambs that needs further investigation, before genomics can be considered a practical tool for farmers when selecting their replacement ewes.