PERFORMANCE OF FINNSHEEP IN SOUTH-AFRICA

Reproduction, survival, growth and wool parameters were calculated for an experimental flock of Finnsheep from 1969 until 1986 under semi-intensive conditions. The total number of lambs born were 1774. Litter size, survival rate at birth and from birth to weaning differed significantly (P<0.01) between years. Lambing percentages varied between 56.0 and 90.6% while average litter size varied between 1.97 and 3.1 lambs. Survival rate at birth declined as litter size increased. from 92.2% for singletons to 63.5% for quintuplets, while survival rate from birth to weaning also declined from 74. 1 % for singletons to 57.0% for quintuplets. For singletons, twins, triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets the least squares means of birth mass was 2.5 +/- 0.06; 2.2 +/- 0.05; 2.0 +/- 0.05; 1.8 +/- 0.06 and 1.7 +/- 0.10, weaning mass was 19.0 +/- 0.47; 16.8 +/- 0.37; 16.8 +/- 0.36; 16.2 +/- 0.45 and 16.4 +/- 0.94, and 12 months mass 43.9 +/- 1.5; 40.1 +/- 1.4; 38.5 +/- 1.3; 37.0 +/- 1.5 and 38.9 +/- 4.7 respectively. Average fleece mass were 2.6 and 2.4 kg with an average fibre diameter of 26.0 and 26.7 micron for rams and ewes, respectively.