Factors affecting birth weight of Tellicherry kids

Data on birth weight of 566 Tellicherry kids born between 1988 and 2007 at Mecheri Sheep Research Station, Pottaneri were analysed to identify the factors affecting birth weight. The male to female sex ratio was 51.1 to 48.9 %. The percentage of multiple births in first, second, third, fourth, fifth and above parities was 7.2, 39.7, 50.9, 67.9 and 53.3 %, respectively. The overall least-squares means for birth weight of males and females pooled over parity and type of birth was 2.28 ± 0.03 and 2.01 ± 0.03 kg, respectively. The birth weight was significantly affected by period of birth, sex of the kid and type of birth. The estimates of heritability for birth weight was low (0.091 ± 0.099) and with high standard errors. The phenotypic correlation of birth weight with 3, 6, 9 and 12 months were 0.314, 0.336, 0.256 and 0.159, respectively.