The initial phase of the evaluation will see the wether and ewe progeny separated at weaning. The wether progeny will be grown out, shorn and slaughtered at approximately 10 months of age.
They’ll then be evaluated for growth rate and carcass traits - eye muscle, fat depth and evenness, intra muscular fat, meat to bone ratio and meat eating quality.
Ewe progeny will be carried through and shorn post-12 months of age so that data surrounding fleece traits can be measured as accurately as possible.
In the second phase of the evaluation, the maiden daughters of the sires will be joined and reproductive data will be collected, measuring their reproductive performance.
For commercial sheep enterprises, reproductive performance is key. This reproduction focused evaluation will provide accurate data to speak to the Dohne’s ability to produce a very high percentage of lambs of exceptional quality.
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