Adult body weight of indigenous and crossbred ewes under semi-arid conditions in India

Data on adult body weight of ewes belonging to Nali, Chokla breeds and their crosses (F₁) with Rambouillet and Soviet Merino raised under semi-arid conditions in India were analysed. The ewes belonged to 5 distinct age groups ranging from 16·5 to 64 months. Nali and Chokla were significantly lighter than all the 4 crossbred groups. There were no significant differences in body weight between crossbred groups except in the case of Soviet Merino × Chokla group which was the lightest and differed significantly from all other groups. Rambouillet crosses were heavier than Merino crosses but the difference was statistically significant only on Rambouillet × Chokla and Merino × Chokla. The improvement in body weight in crossbreds over native sheep ranged between 9·3 and 21·88%. The increase in live weight was significant only up to 49 months.