Abstract

Moghani sheep breed is one of the most important meat type breeds among Iranian local sheep. The objective of this contribution was to estimate direct and maternal genetic variance as well as covariance between direct and maternal additive genetic effects. Maternal permanent environmental variance was also estimated. The following traits were studied: Birth weight (BW), average daily gain until three months (ADG3) and average daily gain until 6 months (ADG6). Genetic parameters were estimated for conception rate (CR), number of lambs born per ewe lambing (LS), number­ of lambs born alive (NLBA), number of alive lambs at weaning (NLAW), litter mean weight per lamb born (LMWLB) and litter mean weight per lamb weaned (LMWLW). Three single trait linear animal models have been employed to estimate genetic parameters for production traits and one mixed model method used to analyze reproduction traits included fixed effects due to year, age of ewe and hormone treatment and also random effects due to animal direct and maternal genetic effects, permanent environmental effects due to repeated lambing by ewes and residual effects. Data were analyzed by restricted maximum likelihood method (REML).

Key words: Birth weight, genetic parameters, Moghani sheep, reproductive traits.