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Effect of Sampling Period on Some Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Fleece from Menz Sheep

Gelaye Gebisa, Sandip Banerjee, Mestawet Taye

This study was undertaken on pedigreed Menz sheep of both sexes which are being reared at Debre-Birhan Agricultural Research Center. The study was aimed to characterize the fleece quality of the breed and to determine the effect of sampling periods on various physical and chemical properties of fleece. The fleece samples were collected from the two sides and breeches of the sheep. Samples were collected thrice during the study period with six months interval. The fleece quality parameters viz. staple length (SL), scouring yield (SY), vegetable matter(VM) and wool wax(WW) were significantly different (p<0.05) across the sampling periods for all ewes and rams categorized in different age groups. In addition to this, the hetro fiber diameter (HTFD) and hairy fiber diameter (HRFD) of fleece from all rams were significantly different (p<0.05) across the sampling periods, while only hetro fiber diameter (HTFD) was varied across sampling periods for ewes aged 2 to 3 years. The differences observed June be attributed to the non-genetic factors particularly the nutrition of the sheep and the sampling period. Generally, this finding revealed, staple length, souring yield, vegetable matter and wool wax are consistently affected by sampling period and the high coefficient of variation indicates that there is a scope of selecting Menz rams and ewes for wool quality traits.