Reproductive Performance Of West African Dwarf Sheep And Goats At Village Level In Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Reproductive performance or 20 pregnant ewes and 20 pregnant does of West African Dwarf breed at village level in Ogun State, Nigeria were compared in a study which lasted for 8 months. Litter size in ewes was
1.50 while that of does was 1.85. The number of males produced by the two species out-numbered that of females. However, multiple births were higher in goat than in sheep. Results or birth weights and body weights of lambs and kids at 3 month of age were significantly different (P < 0.05). Lambs were heavier at birth with overall mean birth weight of 2.00kg compared with 1.48kg recorded for kids. At the age of 3 months, the overall body weight of lamb was 1038kg while that of kid was 7.61kg. Mortality in lamb was 23.33% as against 10.81 % in kids. Effective management system of West African Dwarf sheep and goats at village level before and
after birth will improve the reproductive efficiency of the two species.

Keywords: Reproductive performance, WAD sheep and goats