As Asrullah, Muhamad Jayfa Gilang Pratama, Tri Eko Susilorini, Kuswati Kuswati, Wike Andre Septian, Chairdin Dwi Chairdin Dwi Nugraha, Rafika Febriani Putri, Ari Ardiantoro, Suyadi Suyadi
Crossbreeding is an effective strategy to enhance sheep productivity under tropical conditions. This study evaluated the birth characteristics of lambs resulting from crossbreeding Dorper and Awassi rams with Texel cross ewes in Indonesia’s tropical environment. The experiment was conducted from April to November 2023 at CV Kambing Burja, Malang Regency, East Java, Indonesia. A total of 125 Texel cross ewes aged 1.5 to over 3 years were naturally mated with 71 Dorper and 54 Awassi rams using a controlled colony mating system at a ram-to-ewe ratio of 1:25. The study employed complete enumeration, including all ewes that successfully lambed during the observation period. Sire groups comprising two to three rams per breed were rotated every 45 days to ensure equal mating opportunities and prevent exhaustion. Estrus synchronization followed a two-step hormonal protocol, including the administration of Conceptase (PGF2α, 2.5 mL/ewe) intramuscularly to induce luteolysis, followed 48 hours later by PG600 (1.5 mL/ewe) containing eCG and hCG to stimulate follicular development and ovulation. Mating behavior was observed daily, with successful copulation indicated by restlessness, vocalization, and receptivity. Measured parameters included birth weight, litter size, and sex ratio. Results showed no significant differences in mean litter size or birth weight between Dorper × Texel cross and Awassi × Texel cross lambs, although Awassi crosses exhibited more uniform birth weights. Birth weight decreased as litter size increased, and sex ratios remained balanced in both groups. These findings suggest that both Dorper and Awassi rams are suitable for enhancing the reproductive performance of Texel cross ewes under tropical management systems, highlighting the importance of integrating hormonal synchronization and controlled breeding for sustainable sheep production in Indonesia. © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Faculty of Animal Science, Brawijaya University, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Research Center for Animal Husbandry, National Research and Innovation Agency, Republic of Indonesia (BRIN), Bogor, 16911, Indonesia
