Djallonke sheep at Kolokopé (Togo) : reproductive traits in ewes and viability of lambs

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study reproductive performances in 163 Djallonke ewes and viability in 4503 lambs at the Centre d’appui technique of Kolokopé, Togo. Data were collected from 1984 to 1994. Age at first lambing (AFL) and lambing interval (LI) were 595.8 ± 15.7 d (19.5 months) and 304 ± 8.2 d (10 months), respectively. The litter size and annual reproductive rate were 1.31 ± 0.02 and 1.57 lamb per ewe, respectively. The pre-weaning death rate was 11.7%. AFL was significantly influenced by the year of birth (p < 0.001), season of birth (p < 0.05) and lambing type (p < 0.05). LI was significantly affected by the year of lambing (p < 0.001), season (p < 0.001) and lambing type (p < 0.05). The preweaning mortality rate was significantly affected by the year (p < 0.001) and birth type (p < 0.001).