Wool yield and quality attributes of lambs maintained on different system of feeding management

The reported experiment was taken up on lambs maintained under extensive, semi intensive and intensive system of feeding management to assess yield and quality traits of six months wool produced. The pre experimental (3 months clip) wool yield in 5² cm area, body surface area, total wool yield, scouring yield % and scoured wool yield in 5² cm and total scoured yield was similar in the three groups before initiation of the study with corresponding average of 1.19 g, 0.63 m², 295.4 g, 82.7%, 0.98 g and 244.4 g. The same area again shorn off after termination of the study showed higher (P<0.01) wool yield in semi intensive (2.81 g) followed by intensive (2.61 g) and extensive (2.54 g) system of feeding management with corresponding greasy fleece yield of 1009.8, 917.0 and 771.2 g. Manual shearing on an average left 8% wool on the body of animals. The staple length of three month old clip (5² cm) was 3.80 cm with average fiber diameter of 41.4 μ with 62% CV and 77.1% medulation (Hetero18.7% and hairy 58.5%). The same 5² cm area shaved off after three months of feeding experiment had average staple length of 3.79 cm and added together the 6 month clip had average staple length of 7.20 cm while the 6 month manual clipping showed average staple length 4.67 cm. The fiber diameter of wool from 5² cm area was lower (P<0.05) in extensive (36.6 μ) and semi intensive (38.0 μ) than intensive (39.7 μ) system of feeding management while no such difference was noted in wool samples drawn from whole body shearing. Moreover the CV decreased from 3 months (62.3%) to six months (47.6%) old clip.

It is concluded that wool yield was higher under semi intensive and intensive groups maintained on high plane of feeding compared to extensive range management. The fiber diameter decreased from 3 to 6 month clip and high plane of feeding increased fiber diameter of 6 months of clip.