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Seasonal tissue changes in Scottish Blackface ewes over multiple production cycles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

N. R. Lambe
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Animal Biology Division, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 3JG
M. J. Young
Affiliation:
Sheep Improvement Ltd, PO Box 66, Lincoln University, Canterbury, NZ
G. Simm
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Animal Biology Division, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 3JG
J. Conington
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Animal Biology Division, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 3JG
S. Brotherstone
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Animal Biology Division, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 3JG
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Extract

A previous study using X-ray computed tomography (CT) of Scottish Blackface hill ewes found that carcass fat, internal fat and muscle are depleted during pregnancy and early lactation and deposited during late lactation and the dry period. Relationships were also found between fat and muscle levels and lamb production traits (Lambe et al., 2002a). Changes in tissue levels over multiple production cycles of the hill ewe, and how these changes relate to lamb production are also of interest. The aims of this study were to model changes in carcass fat, internal fat and muscle through three production cycles and to compare patterns of tissue change in ewes producing different numbers of lambs.

Type
Theatre Presentations
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2003

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References

Lambe, N.R., Young, M.J., McLean, K.A., Conington, J. and Simm, G., 2002a. Prediction of total body tissue weights in Scottish Blackface ewes using CT scanning. Animal Science, accepted.Google Scholar
Lambe, N.R., Brotherstone, S., Lewis, R.M., Young, M.J., Conington, J. and Simm, G., 2002b. A genetic analysis of seasonal tissue changes in Scottish Blackface ewes, using X-ray computed tomography. Proceedings 7th WCGALP CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilmour, A.R., Cullis, B.R., Welham, S.J. and Thompson, R. 2001. ASREML Reference Manual.Google Scholar