The Number of Offspring Weaned from Ewe Lambs Is Affected Differently by Liveweight and Age at Breeding.

In this paper, we tested the hypothesis that ewe lambs that are heavier and older at breeding will wean more offspring, due to increased reproductive rate and offspring survival and lower maternal mortality. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed data from more than 11,500 maternal composite ewe lambs collected over eight years. The ewe lambs had full pedigree records including birth type, age and liveweight at breeding plus records of the birthweight and survival of their offspring and the dam.