Abstract :
In this study phenotypic and genetic factors affecting the reproductive efficiency of Lori-Bakhtiari ewes were determined using 8202 reproductive records of 2478 ewes collected at Shooli research station in the southwestern part of Iran (Shahrekord) during 1989 to 2012. Reproductive efficiency over all consecutive lambing opportunities were calculated by adding the total reproductive efficiency traits per ewe joined for all of the parturition opportunities. Reproductive traits included in the current study were: number of parity (NP), total number of lambs born (TNLB), total number of lambs weaned (TNLW), total of lambs birth weight (TLBW), total of lambs weaning weight (TLWW), total of lambs weaning weight per kg ewe body weight (TLWW/EBW) and total of lambs weaning weight per kg metabolic ewe body weight (TLWW/MEBW). The data set analyzed with multi-trait animal model included the fixed effects of birth year of ewe, number of parturition in ewe s lifetime, ewe body weight as covariate and random effects di-rect additive genetic and residual. The overall mean of NP, TNLB, TNLW, TLBW, TLWW, TLWW/EBW and TLWW/MEBW were 3.31, 3.31, 3.21, 16.51 kg, 87.31 kg, 1.51 and 4.16, respectively. The effect of non-genetic factors were significant for all investigated traits in this study (P 0.01). The heritability esti-mates were medium (0.30) for NP and low (0.08 to 0.11) for other reproductive efficiency traits. The esti-mates of genetic and phenotypic correlations between the traits were high (0.72 to 0.99) or medium to high (0.57 to 0.99). Thus, improving environmental effects could make significant improvements in reproductive efficiency traits at first. The low to medium heritability estimate and high genetic correlations obtained be-tween reproductive efficiency traits in ewe s lifetime and high phenotypic standard deviation from them indicated that improvement by selection of all of traits, especially NP can be improved TLWW as net re-productive efficiency trait in Lori-Bakhtiari ewes.
