Effect of different sources of specific variance on the weight development of sheep from The North East Bulgarian merino breed
Genoveva Staykova
, Margarit Iliev, Todor Tsonev
Abstract: This research aims to determine the effect of different sources of specific variance on the weight development of sheep from the North East Bulgarian Fine Fleece breed (NBFF) - Shumen type. The subjects of the study were 820 sheep, born between 2013 and 2020 and raised at the Scientific Center for Agriculture in Targovishte. The following traits were analyzed: live weight at weaning (90 days), at 9 months, and 1.5 years. Average daily gain from weaning to 9 months and from 9 months to 1.5 years was calculated. The influence of the factors—year of birth, type of mating, and breeding line — was researched. An analysis of variance was performed using a multivariate linear statistical model for each age group studied. It has been established that the year of birth has a highly significant influence on the live weight and the average daily gain at all ages and periods studied in sheep from the North-East Bulgarian Fine Fleece breed (NBFF) - Shumen type. The type of mating had a significant influence on the live weight at weaning and on the average daily gain from 9 months to 1.5 years. Linear affiliation had a substantial effect on the average daily gain from 9 months to 18 months. It has been established that the average live weight of sheep from the North-East Bulgarian Fine Fleece breed (NBFF) - Shumen type at weaning was 28.751 kg, at 9 months – 42.033 kg, and at 18 months was 53.617 kg. The average daily gain from weaning to 9 months was 0.074 kg and from 9 months to 1.5 years was 0.045 kg.
Keywords: average daily gain; breeding line; live weight; North-East Bulgarian Fine-Fleece Breed (NEFF); Sheep; year of birth
Citation: Staykova, G., Iliev, M. & Tsonev, T. (2025). Effect of different sources of specific variance on the weight development of sheep from The North East Bulgarian merino breed. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 31(5), 1032–1038
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| Date published: 2025-10-28
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