Evaluation of production parameters for sheep under convential farm condition in Viranşehir town

The main purpose of present study was to determine the current situation in sheep breeding in Viranşehir province. In this study, total of 184 Akkaraman sheep (174 ewes and 10 rams) were used in 4 villages, for the purpose of predicting milk yield characteristics. 85 ewes from three flocks were included in the experiment. More than 95% of the ewes and 100% of the rams had white color fleeces. All animals included in the experiment were hornless. Body weights of ewes were ranged from 45 to55 kg, and of rams ranged from 75 to 90 kg depending on the grazing condition and age of the animals. In terms of reproduction success, all the ewes in the experiment lambed without any problem. Average of daily milk yield, lactation length and lactation milk yield were 577 g., 120 days and 99.30 kg respectively, and these traits were affected by the age of ewes (p<0.01): three years old and older ewes produced more milk than the younger ewes. Milk production also varied among the flocks (from 51.30 to 99.30 kg). Average birth weight, weaning weight at 90-d and average daily gain from birth to 90-d of age were 3.32 kg, 26.50 kg, and 294.40 gr respectively, and sex and type of birth were found to have significant effect on these traits.It was concluded that the Akkaraman breed production parameters are affecting considerably by farm condition including feeding and management.