[Milk production and milk fat contents of Awassi sheep and its cross-breedings in individual sector [Yugoslavia]]

This paper investigates the milk capacity and the milk fat content of Awassi sheep and their halfbreeds. Sheep from the flock of a private sheep-breeder from around Prilep, SR Macedonia (Yugoslavia) were used as material for the investigation. The halfbreeds were F1 generation of Ovce Polje ewes and Awassi rams. Feeding of the sheep in winter consisted of occasional grazing, medium-quality hay and concentrate in the form of industrially prepared feed mixture. If such feed was not found in the market, the sheep were given about 100 kg of concentrate and 50 kg of hay each, on the average. Summer feeding consisted of meadow grazing in the immediate vicinity of the village. The average daily milk capacity of the Awassi sheep in the fifth month of lactation was l.32 l, with the daily maximum of 2.05 l. The average milk capacity in the lactation was 324.87 l. The maximum was 503.59 l, which had not been achieved so far under the breeding conditions of SR Macedonia. The found variation scope points to the genetic non-uniformity of the used Awassi material. The nursing milk share was 64.63 l and the consumer one 260.24 l. Fat content in the milk of the Awassi sheep was a little higher than that of the domestic breeds. The average daily milk capacity of the halfbreeds was 1.43 l and lactation milk capacity 351.82 l. The maximum lactation milk capacity was 284 l, about 10 times higher, compared with Sar Planina sheep. Highly significant differences between the average lactation and consumer milk capacities of pure Awassi sheep and their halfbreeds were found, but there were insignificant differences in the fat content in the milk. The authors conclude that the acclimatized Awassi sheep can be bred in SR Macedonia, and it is bred in full blood, and it can play a good ameliorator role in the double, milk-meat, production direction, because the milk capacity of Awassi halfbreeds is more than satistactory.