Seasonal effects on birth weight of lambs born to prolific ewes maintained under intensive management

Seasonal effects on birth weight (BWT) of lambs were studied in a prolific Assaf flock maintained under intensive management conditions with birth records of 7775 lambs distributed across all months in a period of 11 years. The average BWT was 4.21 kg. Month of the year had a significant (P < 0.001) effect on BWT, with the highest average BWT in April (4.6 kg) and the lowest average BWT in September (3.8 kg). The seasonal effect was noted for single lambs and lambs born in litters of 2 to 4 lambs. Gestation length, day length, rate of change in day length and heat load had significant (P < 0.001) effects on BWT. Day length during the early stage of gestation was inversely related to BWT while rate of changes in day length during the latter stages of gestation were directly associated with BWT.