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A study was conducted to evaluate growth performances of Washera sheep under smallholder production systems in the Yilmanadensa and Quarit districts of the Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia. Data were collected and analysed on the growth of 690 lambs owned by 110 households from October 2004 to September 2007. Weight (kilograms) of Washera lambs at birth, 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age was 2.69 +/- 0.02, 7.10 +/- 0.16, 12.42 +/- 0.11, 16.12 +/- 0.91, 20.05 +/- 0.55 and 23.47 +/- 0.68, respectively. Birth weight was significantly (P0.05) affected by district, year of birth, parity of the dam, birth type and sex of lamb and by the interaction effect of parity by birth type and parity by sex of lamb. Weaning weight was also affected by year of birth, type of birth and sex of lamb. Yearling weight was affected by only year of birth and sex of birth. The average daily weight gain (ADG; grams) from birth to 30 days, birth to 90 days, 90 to 180 days and birth to 1 year of age was 143.37 +/- 13.46, 107.09 +/- 2.67, 39.78 +/- 9.73 and 60.13 +/- 1.89, respectively. Growth rates from birth to 30 and 90 days of age were significantly (P0.05) affected by birth year, birth type and sex. ADG from birth to 1 year of age was affected by lamb sex and district. The indigenous Washera sheep had faster growth rate than those sheep breeds of Ethiopia extensively studied thus far. Integrated efforts combining improved nutrition, health and participatory community-based breeding would help the smallholder farmers to utilise and conserve this immense sheep genetic resource of Ethiopia.

On-farm survey of farmers' breeding practices, breeding objectives, and selection criteria and on-station feedlot performance evaluation of Washera sheep were undertaken in Ethiopia. The survey revealed that most (79.8%) of the farmers had no breeding ram. The mating system was predominantly uncontrolled. A majority (75.5%) of the sheep owners reported that they herded their sheep flock by mixing with other livestock species mainly with cattle. During grazing, 44.6% of the farmers mix their sheep flock with neighboring sheep flocks. The major sheep production objective was to generate income from the sale of live sheep. Fast growth, appearance, coat color, and pedigree performance were important ram selection criteria, respectively. Ability to breed at early age, pedigree information, mothering ability, and lambing interval were important selection criteria for ewe, respectively. The on-station performance study involved evaluation of feedlot gains and carcass production under five levels of feeding regimes (300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 g day(-1) of concentrate feed) for a period of 93 days. The results indicated that the feedlot growth and carcass performance of Washera sheep were very high, with average daily weight gains of up to 126 g and carcass weight of 16 kg, with the optimal level of supplementation for Washera sheep being at 500 g of concentrate per day for a period of 93 days.

Menz sheep are indigenous to the highlands of Ethiopia, and highly valued for their meat and wool production. The area is characterized as a low input mixed barley-sheep production system. In 1998, a selection experiment was set up to evaluate the response of Menz sheep to selection for yearling live weight (WT12) and greasy fleece weight (GFW) combined in an economic index. In this paper, we report the results of this breeding program obtained between 1998 and 2003. Average annual genetic selection responses for WT12 and GFW were 1.506 and 0.043 kg in the selected flock and 0.392 and −0.008 kg in the control flock. Annual genetic trends in the selected flock, estimated by regressing BLUP estimated breeding values on year of birth, were 0.495 ± 0.053 kg for WT12, 0.012 ± 0.002 kg for GFW, and Birr 5.53 ± 0.55 for the aggregate breeding value (1 Ethiopian Birr = 0.115 USD). Corresponding values for the control flock were 0.276 ± 0.065 kg, 0.003 ± 0.002 kg and Birr 2.93 ± 0.69. Correlated responses in birth weight (WT0), weaning weight (WT3), 6-month weight (WT6) and staple length (STPL) in the selected flock were 0.038 ± 0.005 kg, 0.271 ± 0.03 kg, 0.388 ± 0.039 kg and 0.011 ± 0.017 cm, respectively. Heritabilities, estimated by fitting a multitrait individual animal model were 0.464 ± 0.014, 0.477 ± 0.016, 0.514 ± 0.017, 0.559 ± 0.019, 0.393 ± 0.016 and 0.339 ± 0.014 for WT0, WT3, WT6, WT12, GFW and staple length (STPL), respectively. Phenotypic and genetic correlations between all traits were positive, except for STPL and WT12. Estimates of genetic parameters and observed genetic trends confirm that selective breeding can lead to significant genetic improvement in Menz sheep.