Merino ewes that are genetically fatter lose less weight when nutrition is restricted

John, S.E., Ferguson, M.B., Gardner, G.E.ORCID: 0000-0001-7499-9986 and Thompson, A.N.ORCID: 0000-0001-7121-7459 (2012) Merino ewes that are genetically fatter lose less weight when nutrition is restricted. In: Proceeding of the LambEx 2012 Conference, 28 - 29 June, Bendigo, Vic, Australia p. 54.

Abstract

Ewes that lose less weight when there is a shortage of paddock feed are potentially more profitable because they require less supplementary feeding or can be grazed at higher stocking rates during autumn/winter (Young et al. 2011). Adams et al. (2006) have shown that sheep genotypes which lose more weight when underfed have lower metabolic reserves including fat. This paper tested the hypothesis that selection for increased fatness would reduce the rate of liveweight loss in adult Merino ewes when nutrition was restricted.

Item Type:	Conference Paper
Murdoch Affiliation:	School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/25080

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