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Awassi dairy sheep farmers in the Middle East are facing high feed costs, particularly during the milk production season, along with large fluctuation in grain and straw prices. Incorporating agro-industrial byproducts into the diet of Awassi dairy sheep can help to balance diets and decrease costs. But it may affect milk quality through changes in the fatty acid profile. Six experimental diets were compared to a control diet in the research station of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Tal Hadya, Syria. Milking Awassi ewes (n = 56) were used to test six experimental diets, in which supplements comprised molasses, sugar beet pulp, or cotton seed cake to a traditional control diet contained barley, wheat bran, and barley straw. Milk samples were collected on a weekly basis from April to June. The daily milk production and fat content were enhanced in diets containing urea-treated wheat straw (P

To generate information on animal fiber quality traits in Central Asia, as a prelude to genetic improvement, fiber samples of 495 cashmere goats from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and 448 mohair goats from these two countries and Kyrgyzstan were characterized. Fixed effects involved location (geographical), animal age and coat color. Fiber traits included greasy down yield for cashmere (GDY, %) and clean yield (CY, %) for mohair; mean down diameter (MDD, μm) for cashmere and mean fiber diameter (MFD, μm) for mohair; coefficient of variation (CV, %) associated with MFD or MDD; comfort factor (CF, %); fiber curvature (Curv,°/mm) and staple length (SL, mm). Percentages of med, kemp and total medullation (TM) were also obtained for mohair samples. Residual phenotypic correlations between traits were calculated. Cashmere GDY, MDD, CV, CF, Curv and SL averaged respectively 26.8 ± 0.6%, 17.2 ± 0.1 μm, 21.0 ± 0.2%, 98.9 ± 0.2% 69.7 ± 0.5°/mm and 29.4 ± 0.7 mm. Location was a significant differentiating factor for all cashmere traits. Significant GDY decrease and MDD increase was observed with age. The SL was highly correlated with GDY, MDD and CF (0.63, 0.65 and −0.64, respectively), and so was GDY with MDD (0.78). Mohair CY, MFD, CV, CF, Curv and SL averaged respectively 76.7 ± 0.3%, 29.3 ± 0.2 μm, 29.5 ± 0.2%, 60.5 ± 1.0%, 48.5 ± 0.2°/mm, and 176.9 ± 1.9 mm, whereas med, kemp and TM averaged respectively 5.7 ± 0.3, 5.5 ± 0.3 and 11.2 ± 0.6%. Significant location differences were found for mohair CY, MFD, CF, Curv, SL, kemp and TM, along with a significant MFD increase and CF decrease with age. All variables, except CY, differentiated according to coat colors. CY was highly correlated with MFD (0.70), SL (0.80), CF (−0.72), Curv (−0.81) and kemp (−0.70). The mohair MFD was also highly correlated with CF (−0.99), Curv (−0.81), SL (0.70) and FM (0.64). The study detected important variability for fiber quality traits in view of (1) heterogeneity for all studied cashmere traits, except for CF, and in all studied mohair traits, and (2) significant location differences for most important quality traits in cashmere and mohair. This suggests that a good base for fiber quality improvement is in place in the region.

Livestock husbandry in the dry areas of the Mediterranean basin is facing scarcity and fluctuation of feed supply and feed prices. At the same time the local agro-food industry is expanding and its by-products might be used as alternatives to traditional feed resources, but their nutritional value is not well known. Therefore, four by-products typical for the Mediterranean area were tested in vitro (n = 3 per diet or feed), in sacco (n = 6) and in vivo (n = 6) either individually or in a proportion of 0.34 of the total diet. The test feeds (broken lentils, sugar beet pulp, tomato pomace and crude olive cake) were compared to a barley–wheat bran mixture (control). Forage (barley straw) made up proportionately 0.5 of the diet. For all experiments either rumen canulated or intact castrated male Awassi sheep were employed. The thirty sheep used in the in vivo experiment weighed on average 42 kg. The animals were fed 1.1 kg dry matter (DM)/day and had free access to water. Large compositional differences (g/kg DM) between the batches of test feeds used in the present study were found in crude protein (from 79 to 245; for olive cake and broken lentils), neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom; from 283 to 584; for broken lentils and olive cake) and non-fiber carbohydrates (from 109 to 436 for tomato pomace and olive cake and to broken lentils). Two feeds (tomato pomace and olive cake) were rich in ether extract; sugar beet pulp was rich in calcium. Broken lentils had the highest effective degradabilities (ED). Olive cake was lowest in ED of OM and aNDFom (0.39 and 0.32, respectively). Olive cake caused refusals of concentrate (lower proportionate concentrate intake compared with the control, P

High feed-cost constraints are currently threatening the livelihoods of farmers fattening lambs in developing Middle Eastern countries. Reduced-cost feeds and adequate management alternatives are needed for more efficient lamb-fattening systems. Therefore lamb fattening performances of different Awassi sheep genotypes, on different diets and fattening environments, were therefore evaluated. Two trials were conducted. The first trial was conducted on-farm in northern Syria to assess the fattening performance of Syrian Awassi, and Turkish × Syrian Awassi crossbred lambs, and the suitability of 2 cost-reducing feeding diets compared to the traditional spring fattening diet of grazing green barley with supplementation (C): intensive feeding based only on concentrate and barley straw (D1) and semi-intensive grazing on vetch (Vicia sativa) with minor supplementation using the same D1-mix (D2). Lambs of both genotypes did not significantly differ in weight gain in the 49-day fattening period. There were no significant differences in weight gains among C, D1 and D2 diets: 14.4, 15.3 and 15.9 kg/lamb, respectively. The D2 diet reduced feeding costs by 20% and promoted high growth, notwithstanding its beneficial soil effects. The second trial was conducted on-station at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Syria, to assess the fattening performance of lambs of the above 2 genotypes in addition to Turkish × (Turkish × Syrian) crossbred lambs, both in indoor and outdoor conditions. Paralleling the first trial, live weight gains of the 3 genotypes did not differ significantly. Fattening lambs under a more favorable and healthier outdoor environment using a simple shed, avoiding negative effects of lack of ventilation and high temperature, produced significantly more live weight gain (5.8 kg) per lamb than indoors. No differences in smell, taste, juiciness and tenderness were found among genotypes in the second trial, confirming no negative effects of using these diets in the first trial, reported elsewhere. There were no statistical differences in smell, taste, juiciness and tenderness, in the meat with the distinct diets or the fattening (indoor/outdoor) environments. Both trials showed that whereas no gains could be expected by using the Turkish genotype for fattening, vetch grazing and molasses are suitable options for reducing high feed costs and could be safely used by farmers without compromising meat quality. Raising animals in a more favorable and healthier environment outdoors under a simple shed can also translate into substantial revenue in large batches of fattened lambs with considerable benefit for fattening systems.

Awassi lamb-fattening systems in Middle Eastern countries are popular because they can rapidly generate income. Nevertheless, feed costs constraining these systems and seasonal fluctuations in feed prices expose farmers to risk. A 90-day fattening experiment was conducted at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), in Syria, to compare reduced-cost diets that use locally available feeds with the diet used traditionally by farmers. Thirty-six 4-month-old Awassi lambs (mean live weight 23.0 kg) were randomly assigned to three groups: (1) the control group (C), in which lambs were provided with the diet used in fattening systems in Syria; (2) the faba bean and beet molasses group (FBM), in which the lambs were fed a reduced-cost diet in which the barley given in C was replaced with faba bean and beet molasses; and (3) the wheat bran and beet molasses group (MM) replacing a large portion of the broken maize and a small portion of the barley in C. Lambs in C and the reduced-cost diets (FBM and MM) had ad libitum access to untreated (UNTWS) and urea-treated wheat straw (UTWS), respectively. An 11-day digestibility trial was conducted in a subset of the fattened lambs at the end of the growth phase. Total weight gains (24.7, 25.5 and 26.2 kg in groups C, FBM and MM, respectively) and average daily gains (0.282, 0.298 and 0.291 kg/day for C, FBM and MM, respectively) did not differ between groups (P > 0.05). The FBM and MM alternative diets were 13.5% and 11.8% less expensive, respectively, than the C diet. However, due to the higher dry matter intake of concentrate and UTWS the total feed costs per lamb on the alternative diets were 5–13% higher than in C (23.4–25.0 USD in the alternative diet groups vs. 22.2 USD in the C group). The economic returns per kilogram of weight gained did not differ, and the feed costs per kilogram weight gain were similar in the three groups (0.90, 0.98 and 0.89 USD in C, FBM and MM, respectively). No differences among groups were observed with regard to carcass traits and quality (P > 0.05). Although no cost-savings were obtained per kilogram of weight gained, the use of locally available feed resources such as molasses has the potential to reduce and stabilize fluctuating feeding grain costs during periods of high grain prices.

To improve the effectiveness of community-based breeding programs for increased milk production, the values of different udder measurements for predicting milk production traits during the milking period were assessed over 3 yr on 273 Awassi ewes. Machine milking of ewes began after weaning, 56 d after parturition, and continued until the milk yield of the ewes was

A performance evaluation, conducted between 2003 and 2005, compared the milk production of three genotypes of Awassi ewes: Turkish (T), Syrian (S) and the F1-cross between the Turkish and Syrian ewes (TS), at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) experimental farm in Tel Hadya (northern Syria). After weaning, which occurred at 56days, milk yield and milking length were measured weekly during the milking period ( n = 381). Milk yield of TS and T ewes were 12% and 30% higher, respectively, than S ewes. Milk yield and milking length of TS ewes reflected additive inheritance and did not differ from the parental genotypes' average ( p ≥ 0.199). Culling of low producing ewes in 2003 and 2004 also resulted in increased milk yield. Dams of all genotypes displayed similar weights at birth ( p = 0.898) and weaning ( p ≥ 0.677). The latter suggests dams of the different genotypes olerated equally the pre-weaning lactation load. Performance tended to improve as ewes aged, with milk yield and milking length peaking at 3years of age ( p > 0.05). Ewe lambing weight, birth–weaning ewe weight decline, litter size, and litter weight weaned peaked at 4–5years of age ( p ≤ 0.016). With the exception of birth–weaning ewe weight decline, year effects influenced the traits under study ( p ≤ 0.035). Excluding litter size, the best performance was in 2005, followed by 2003 and 2004. Milk yield increased with litter size at weaning ( b = 18.7; p = 0.024). The lambing–weaning ewe weight decline (3.6kg) and ewe productivity (0.46kg litter weaned weight per kg ewe weight) did not differ between genotypes ( p ≥ 0.178). Average litter size was 1.15, with the TS ewes displaying the largest litter size (1.23; p = 0.026). Single lambs were 25% heavier than twins at birth averaging 4.73kg and 3.8kg, respectively. Male lambs were 4% heavier than female lambs at birth ( p p p ≥ 0.210). The average proportion of fat (5.95%), crude protein (5.19%) and solids non-fat (11.29%) in the milk varied across genotypes where S p ≤ 0.0037). F1 crosses with T increased the productivity of S ewes by 12.2%. It is noteworthy that this occurred under improved feeding and may not be recommended for other conditions. Culling low producing ewes led to a 12.8% increase in milk yield, which could translate into a substantial boost in revenue for farmers rearing traditional sheep flocks in milk producing areas.

Important urban market changes have been noticed in Tunisia for animals that produce thin tail carcasses in contrast to carcasses of animals with a fat tail. In response to this trend, farmers are crossing the local Barbarin (a fat-tailed breed) with thin tailed breeds (Algerian Ouled Djellel and Black Thibar). This happens while the fat tail is known as a criterion of adaptation to harsh conditions and fat-tailed animals are preferred for religious practices. The objectives of this study were to identify hidden reasons for these changes and assess the degree of crossbreeding between the Barbarin sheep and thin tailed breeds. A total of 912 surveys were conducted in three major sheep regions covering the capital (Tunis) and five departments, and including 601 sheep owners, 158 butchers and 153 consumers. The main results showed that even though raising sheep is still as an activity by itself, fattening activities (breeding–fattening or only fattening) are becoming more and more dominant and they represented 75%, 53% and 65% of the sheep activities in the capital Tunis, South East and North West regions, respectively. While breeders and consumers still prefer, in their majority (55–75%), the Barbarin fat tail lambs, butchers tend to favor thin tailed sheep because of the difficulty of selling the fat of the tail that represents up to 15% of the carcass weight. To meet the butchers’ demand, farmers are shifting to thin tail breeds and crosses and in the studied areas, market changes towards thin tailed breeds were dictated by butchers’ and not consumers’ preference. Sensory tests revealed little difference among the three studied genotypes but showed a superiority of the fat tail lambs in tenderness, flavour and smell.

This study evaluated the effect of nutritional supplementation and socio-sexual cues upon reproductive efficiency of goats exposed to the male effect under rangeland grazing conditions (22°N). Criollo goats (n = 73) were distributed in four experimental groups: (1) continuous males (CM, n = 19) in which males (n = 2) remained together with females from 7 March to 28 July; (2) supplemented males (SM, n = 16) in which males (n = 2) were kept separately and were individually supplemented with 18% crude protein and 2.77 Mcal ME kg–1 DM, during a 30-day period; (3) supplemented males exposed to the female effect (SM + FE, n = 19), in which supplemented males (n = 2) were maintained with females induced to oestrus before being used for male effect; and (4) supplemented males and supplemented females (SM + SF, n = 19) in which males (n = 2) were supplemented as in group SM, and females received the same supplementation as males 30 days before and 30 days after male introduction. Grazing was performed from 0900 to 1900 hours; liveweight (LW) was registered weekly before grazing and (or) supplementation. Ovarian activity was evaluated (serum P4 concentrations) in the four groups before and after male introduction. At the beginning of the study and supplementation, female LW did not differ among treatments (P > 0.01). However, during the supplementation phase, LW increased in a different fashion among groups (P < 0.002), favouring the SM, SM + FE and SM + SF groups. A positive correlation between female LW at the beginning of the rainy season and the onset of ovulatory activity was observed (r = +0.90; P < 0.01). The average date for the onset of ovarian activity differed (P < 0.001) among groups, being earlier in the SM + SF group (9 May ± 4.3 days), which also depicted the shortest interval between the introduction of males until the onset of ovulatory activity (P < 0.001). Results of the present study indicate that nutritional signalling of the reproductive activity of both female and male Criollo goats reared under marginal conditions surmounts the inhibitory effects of long-day photoperiods during the non-reproductive season. An increased level of nutrition during the anestrous season may be used to increase reproductive function of both male and female goats reared in harsh nutritional conditions and applied as a green, clean, and ethical reproductive tool at these latitudes.