Dairy Sheep Symposium - the Department of Animal Sciences ...

There were no significant differences between 1/2 East Friesian and 1/2 Lacaune ewes for
weight of milk, fat, or protein produced in a lactation (Tables 6 and 7) even though 1/2 East
Friesian ewes had a significantly longer lactation length (Table 6). The 1/2 Lacaune ewes had a
significantly higher percentage milk fat and milk protein than did the 1/2 East Friesian ewes.
Table 6. Lactation traits (mean ± SE) of F1 ewes produced from East Friesian or Lacaune
sires and non-dairy dams during their first and second lactations
Breed
Lactation
Protein, Protein,
group N Milk, lb length, d Fat, lb. Fat, % lb. %
1/2 EF 75 291.8±14.3 126.3±3.8 a
1/2 LA 83 260.8±13.6 114.4±3.6 b
16.3±1.0 5.49±.13 b
15.8±.9 5.89±.12 a
13.7±.7 4.65±.09 b
13.2±.7 4.91±.08 a
a,b,c Means within a column with no superscripts in common are significantly different ( P < .05).
There is relatively little data for 3/4-dairy ewes at this time, so the values presented in the
bottom half of Table 7 should be viewed as preliminary. In coming years, we will have more
data on 3/4-dairy ewes, and we should be able to make more definitive conclusions. These
preliminary results suggest that 3/4 East Friesian ewes have longer (P < .05) lactations and
produce more (P < .05) milk than do 3/4 Lacaune ewes. However, fat and protein production
were not significantly different between these two breed groups. This is due to the fact that the
3/4 Lacaune ewes, while producing less milk, had greater (although non-significant) percentages
of milk fat and protein.
Table 7. Lactation traits (mean ± SE) of ewe lambs produced from East Friesian or Lacaune sires and nondairy
or 1/2-dairy dams during their first lactation in 2001
Lactation
Breed group N Milk, lb length, d Fat, lb. Fat, % Protein, lb. Protein, %
1/2 EF 24 191.8±19.1 c
1/2 LA 25 208.9±18.7 c
3/4 EF 16 273.0±23.4 b
1/2 LA 1/4 EF 5 394.5±41.9 a
3/4 LA 10 203.6±29.6 c
94.8±5.8 b
92.8±5.7 b
114.0±7.1 a
137.8±12.8 a
94.6±9.0 b
10.4±1.2 c
13.3±1.1 b,c
14.3±1.4 b
22.7±2.6 a
12.1±1.8 b,c
5.26±.18 b
6.42±.17 a
5.23±.22 b
5.76±.39 a,b
5.80±.28 a,b
a,b,c Means within a column with no superscripts in common are significantly different ( P < .05).
8.9±.9 c
10.6±.9 b,c
12.6±1.1 b
19.9±2.0 a
10.3±1.4 b,c
4.47±.13 b
5.13±.12 a
4.65±.15 b
5.04±.28 a,b
4.98±.20 a,b
The interesting result in Table 7 is the exceptional production of the 1/2 Lacaune, 1/4 East
Friesian ewes. There are only five of these ewes, but they had far longer (P < .05) lactation
lengths and much greater (P < .05) production of milk, fat, and protein than any other 1/2- or 3/4dairy
breed group. Hybrid vigor may be responsible for a portion of their exceptional performance
because they exhibit 100% of maximum hybrid vigor whereas the 3/4 East Friesian and
3/4 Lacaune breed groups exhibit only 50% of maximum hybrid vigor. Individual sire effects
also are partly responsible. All five of the 1/2 Lacaune, 1/4 East Friesian ewes were sired by one
Lacaune ram (no. 5612). Four of the ten 3/4 Lacaune ewes also were sired by 5612, but the other