'National and University Library of the Republic of Srpska'
Doi
Abstract
Eastern Serbia region, especially Homolje territory is an important natural resource of a great potential for organic sheep production. Its long tradition of sheep breeding and the quality of lamb meat and dairy products has become well-known. Svrljig type of Zackel sheep is traditionally reared in the hilly - mountain region of Eastern Serbia. It is well adapted to environmental conditions and sustainable breeding systems. Bearing in mind that autochthonous breeds are preferable for organic production due to the fact that they are well adapted to habitat and due to their genetic tolerance to diseases, the autochthonous Svrljig sheep population reared in Homolje territory was chosen for this research. Examination of health status, body score condition, reproductive traits in a population of 342 ewes and growth traits of 412 lambs reared in sustainable livestock farming was performed. Reproductive and lamb growth traits, litter size at weaning (LSW), total litter weight at birth (TLWB), total litter weight at one-month (1TLMW) and total litter weight at weaning (TLWW) were analyzed. Results of health status, basic ewe reproductive traits and lamb growth performance show that autochthonous Svrljig type of Zackel sheep has robust constitution and potential to be the breed of choice for organic production in the hilly - mountain region of Eastern SerbiaBook of proceeding
