Study on body and udder measurements of ewes from synthetic population Bulgarian milk | Проучване върху измеренията на екстериора и вимето при овце от синтетична популация българска млечна

The aim of the present study was to investigate the body and udder measurements of ewes from Synthetic population Bulgarian milk at the age of 18 months. The study was carried out with ewes at first lactation, fertilized as lambs. This is a part from bigger study on the possibility for early fertilization. 10 animals with complete 120 days milking lactation and rearing in Institute of Animal Science – Kostinbrod were included. The milk production of experimental ewes for 120 days standard milking period - July - October was defined by the AC method according to The Instruction for control of the productive quality. The live weight was measured twice: before breeding campaign, at the age of 10 months, and at the age of 18 months with accuracy 0.1 kg. The body measurements were made on fixed animal on level surface with accuracy 0.5 cm and include: wither height, chest depth, chest width, chest circumference, rump height, flank eminences width, posterior eminences width, athwart body length, head length, head width and canon circumference. It was defined the morphology parameters of udder - length, width, depth, horizontal circumference and the teats - length, thickness by the perceive in IAS-Kostinbrod methods. The dates were calculated by variation statistical methods and were calculated the correlation coefficients between the body measurements and the live weight and between the udder measurements and the milk production by standard regression analysis. It was established the milk production of the first lactation for standard 120 days milking period of ewes at the age of 18 months - 90.75 l. It was established from considerable to high significant correlation coefficients of the live weight and the wither height - r=0.66*, chest circumference - r=0.64*, chest depth - r=0.73*, rump height - r=0.71*, posterior eminences width - r=0.75* and head length - r=0.76**. It was received a high with different degree of significant correlation coefficients of the width and the horizontal circumference with the milk production - r=0.93*** and r=0.80**.