Estimation of (Co) Variance Components and Genetic Parameters for Pre- and Post-Weaning Growth Traits in Dağlıç Sheep

Simple Summary The Daglic breed of sheep is fat-tailed, dual-purpose, and resistant to harsh environmental conditions in Turkiye. This research aimed to estimate (co) variance components and genetic parameters for pre- and post-weaning growth traits in Daglic sheep, considering the direct additive genetic, maternal genetic, and maternal permanent environmental effects with different statistical models. This study revealed moderate heritabilities for pre- and post-weaning growth variables of Daglic sheep. The genetic variation identified in this study suggests that selective breeding could yield favorable outcomes in the early growth of Daglic sheep in Turkiye.Abstract The goal of this study was to estimate (co) variance components and genetic parameters for pre- and post-weaning growth traits in Daglic sheep, considering the direct additive genetic, maternal genetic, and maternal permanent environmental effects, with different statistical models. The information of 21,735 native Daglic lambs born between 2011 and 2021 was used to estimate (co) variance components by the Average Information-Restricted Maximum Likelihood algorithm. The results showed that the most suitable model was Model 3 for birth weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), and weaning weight (WW). Model 4 was the most appropriate for weight at three (W3), weight at six (W6), and weight at twelve months of age (W12). The direct heritabilities for BW, W3, ADG, WW, W6, and W12 were 0.35 +/- 0.02, 0.36 +/- 0.03, 0.27 +/- 0.02, 0.22 +/- 0.02, 0.47 +/- 0.05, and 0.47 +/- 0.05, respectively. Genetic and phenotypic correlations amongst the traits were in the range of 0.103 +/- 0.008 to 0.995 +/- 0.002. These results can be used for the improvement of growth traits in the Daglic breed of sheep through selection.