Studies on physical measurements, live weight and fleece weight in native and cross-bred sheep in a semi-arid zone of India

Abstract

Data on post-shearing body measurements, live weight and greasy fleece weight were recorded in 256 Nali, Chokla and cross-bred (Rambouillet and Soviet Merino crosses with Nali and Chokla) young sheep. The per-formance of cross-breds was significantly superior (P < 0.05) to indigenous breeds for all characters studied. The phenotypic correlations between live weight and four body measurements were high and significant (P<0.01) for all six genetic groups. In general, the correlations between greasy fleece weight, live weight and body measurements in indigenous breeds were non-significant; but in the cross-breds the correlations were moderately high and significant. The use of physical measurements in predicting live weight and greasy fleece weight in tropical sheep is discussed.