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The temporary pastures’ floristic structure influences directly the growth and development of young sheep during grazing. The associations, beside the graminaceous and perennial legume species (white clover and birdsfoot trefoil), contribute mostly to the increase of carcass dimension and organ weight. The quality of the forage from such a pasture, better balanced in terms of energy and protein, influences all growth and development parameters in young sheep.

Pasture associations, consisted of graminaceous and perennial legume species, represent a balanced forage for young sheep, because they generate a high-quality meat and an optimal level of the serological indices. In this viewpoint, legume species contribute to the achievement of superior quality indices of the animal-based products.

The comparative results of the growing dynamics of the Suffolk x rusty Tsigai hybrids, and rusty Tsigai pure breed young sheep from lambing to weaning are comparatively presented in this paper. The average values, variability estimates and differences between the average values of both breed structures and those performed by the offspring of three Suffolk rams used in reproduction are apart presented by male and female young sheep. The following traits were recorded: the body weight (at lambing, 60 days of life, and weaning), total gain and average daily gain from lambing to weaning. The average weaning age was between 84 and 89 days, function of sex. Positive differences, statistically assured were recorded in Suffolk x Tsigai hybrids of both sexes (p

Merino of Cluj is breed was founded during 1959 – 1988, within the University ofAgricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, as result of the workperformed by research team coordinated by Professor Augustin Pop. Turcana breed(white variety, Sibiu ecotype) was used as maternal line, and Transylvanian Merino aspaternal line. Merino of Cluj bred frames within mix morpho-type ”meat-milk-finewool”, well adapted to hilly areas with high precipitation level.In context of reorientation of the production directions, the breed is suitable for meatproduction being exploited on both pasture and intensively. When pasture fattening wasperformed for 150 days, body weights of 37.75 ± 0.30 kg and 42.00 ± 0.17 kg wererecorded in the end of the fattening period, function of feeding level. When 100 daysintensive fattening was performed, body weight of 40.62 ± 0.40 kg was recorded in theend of the fattening period. The average daily accumulation of body weight, whenpasture fattening was performed, recorded values between 107.06 and 136.66 g, and251.00 g when intensive fattening was performed.