The Effect of Crossing Between Yemeni Sheep with Male Awassi Sheep Using Artificial Insemination Technique on Growth Performance of Lambs

This study aimed to evaluate the growth performance of lambs produced from crossing between Yemeni sheep breeds (White Boni, Black Boni, Barri) with the Awassi sheep breed, using the artificial insemination technique to produce crossed lambs (75% Awassi + 25% local, 68% Awasi+32% Local, 62% Awasi+38% Local, 50% Awasi+50% Local, 37% Awasi+63% Local, 25% Awasi+75% Local). In this study the data collected from 976 records of birth weight and weaning for crossed Awassi sheep and local sheep raised at the Central Highlands Research Station - Dhamar for from 2006-2014. The overall average weight at birth and weaning and the average daily weight gain between birth and weaning were 2.59±0.06 kg, 11.87±0.76 kg, and 102.78±9.45 g/day, respectively. Genotype of lamb showed a high significance (P>0.05) on the studied traits compared to the pure local breeds. Genotype of lamb 75%, 68% and 62% of Awassi were significantly superior to other genotype of the lambs in the same traits studied. Year of birth, dam weight, and the type of birth had a significant effect on all the productive traits, while there was no significant effect of the season of birth on the birth weight trait. Similarly, no significant effect of sex on all traits. Generally, the study showed that crossed Awassi lambs was better in growth performance than lambs of local sheep, this result indicate that the Awassi breed could be a suitable breed for crossbreeding and improving the productivity of Yemeni ewes.