The Effect of Body Condition Scoring on Lamb Development in Akkaraman and Lalahan Genotypes

The study was conducted at the International Livestock Research and Training Center Directorate and investigated the effects of ewes' body condition score (BCS) on certain body measurements of their lambs at birth and at 3 months of age in Akkaraman and Lalahan (Kıvırcık x Akkaraman G1 crossbred) sheep in Ankara province. The animal material consisted of 106 lambs (Akkaraman = 33, Lalahan = 73) at birth and 144 lambs (Akkaraman = 33, Lalahan = 111) at 3 months, along with their dams. The BCS values of the ewes were divided into three groups for analysis: low (≤2.5), medium (3.0), and high (≥3.5). The general means of BCS values of the ewes at birth and at 3 months were found to be 2.86 and 2.84, respectively. The effects of genotype and dam age on BCS were not significant in either period. The live weight (LW), wither height, rump height, chest depth, body length, and chest girth values of the lambs were 4.8 kg, 42.1 cm, 42.6 cm, 16.6 cm, 33.0 cm, and 38.5 cm at birth, and 24.0 kg, 62.2 cm, 63.0 cm, 27.8 cm, 58.8 cm, and 65.3 cm at 3 months of age, respectively. Ewes with high BCS had heavier LW lambs at both birth (low: 4.5 kg, medium: 4.8 kg, high: 4.9 kg; P<0.05) and 3 months (low: 24.3 kg, medium: 25.1 kg, high: 25.8 kg; P>0.05). A similar pattern was observed in the daily live weight gain (DLWG) of lambs (low: 0.205 kg, medium: 0.221 kg, high: 0.242 kg; P<0.001). In conclusion, it can be said that ewes with a high BCS adequately meet their nutritional needs during lactation, thereby providing better care for their lambs.