Analyses were carried out on the productivities of Djallonke sheep and N'Dama cattle at the Centre de Recherches Zootechniques, Kolda, Senegal. Data available from a range of performance traits covered the period 1974 to August 1981. Both species were maintained for meat production. Environmental and genetic effects relating to origin, month and year of parturition or birth, parturition number, sex, type of birth, individual cow or ewe, etc., were evaluated as appropriate for each performance trait.
In sheep, age at first lambing was 18. 8 months, lambing interval 10 months, utter size 1.12 lambs, and ewe productive life 4.2 years in the breeding flock, 5.8 years in total. Lamb mortality rates of 33% from birth to weaning at 4 months and 19% from weaning to 12 months showed a positive correlation with rainfall. The breeding ewe mortality rate was 15% per year, and the average generation interval 4.5 years. Lamb growth was 60 gm per day from birth to weaning at 4 months and 45 gm per day from birth to one year of age, with negative correlations between growth and rainfall at all stages. Ewe mean body weight was 23.5 kg. Three linear measures of animal height, length and girth were analysed and correlated with body weight. The characters of reproductive performance, ewe and lamb viability and ewe and lamb body weights were combined to build three productivity indices. The overall flock productivity was 8.7 kg of weaned lamb per ewe per year, 362 gm of weaned lamb per kg of ewe body weight per year; and 850 gm of weaned lamb per kg of ewe metabolic body weight per year.
In cattle, age at first calving was 39. 8 months, calving interval 16.2 months and cow productive life 7.5 years in the breeding herd, 10.8 years in total. Calf mortality rates were 9.6% from birth to weaning at 6 months and 1.3% from weaning to 12 months. The breeding cow mortality rate was 2.9% per year, and the average generation interval 6.7 years. Calf growth was 0.36 kg per day from birth to weaning at 6 months and 0.21 kg per day from birth to 30 months of age. Mean cow body weight was 234 kg. Three linear measures of animal height, length and girth were analysed and correlated with body weight. The characters of reproductive performance, cow and calf viability, and cow and calf body weights were combined to build three productivity indices. The overall herd productivity was 67.6 kg of 9 month old calf per cow per year; 28.1 kg of 9 month old calf per 100 kg of cow body weight per year; and 123 kg of 9 month old calf per 100 kg cow metabolic body weight per year.
