Determination of various yield characteristics of Karacabey merino sheep under semi-intensive conditions

The aim of study was determine the pregnancy and infertility rate, litter size, lambing rate, vitality, birth weight, live weights and live weight gains, twinning rate of Karacabey Merino Sheep in semi-intensive conditions at 30, 60 and 90 days. The animal material of the study consisted of 184 heads aged 1.5 years, 58 heads aged 2 and 305 lambs born from them. The datas about birth weight, birth type, gender, birth weight of 30 days, 60 days (weaning), 90 days were recorded. Lambing rate for 1.5 year old and 2 years old sheep were 1.25 and 1.29, while litter size was observed 1.48 and 1.41 respectively. Pregnancy and infertility rates were 84.2% and 15.8% at 1.5 years and 91.4% and 8.6% at 2 years old respectively. The vitality of lambs was 90%, 88%, 90.3%, 88.57%, 92.66%,87.76% in 1.5 year old, 2 years old female, male, single and twin cousins, respectively and the overall average was 89%. Birth, 30th, 60th, 90th day weights were 4.261, 12.483, 21.844, 28.405 kg for female lambs of 1.5 years old ; 4.504, 12.871, 23.022, 31.556 kg for male lambs; These values were determined as 4.426, 10.829, 19.504, 26.557 for male lambs of 2 years old and 4.659, 11.774, 21.750, 30.448kg for 2 years old female lambs respectively.