Reproductive Performance of Sakub Ewes Kept By Smallholder Farmers in Brebes Regency

In Brebes Regency, there are sheep which the local community calls Sakub sheep which are growing quite well, especially in the highlands. This type of sheep has not been explored and researched, so there is still no clear standard and information regarding its profile and characteristics. This study was conducted to investigate reproductive performance of Sakub ewes kept by smallholder farmers in Brebes Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. This research was conducted from May to September 2022 in Paguyangan and Sirampog districts, Brebes Regency. There were 60 farmers as respondents, 86 ewes, and 129 kids as research materials. The data has been presented with descriptive analysis. In this study, the result of first mating and first lambing of Sakub ewes were 10.38±2.92 and 15.03±3.20 months, respectively. The pregnancy length was 5.03±0.14 months. The service per conception was 1.91±1.15 times. the result of litter size was 1.50±0.63 and the kid weaned at 3.341±1.11 months. The ewes have mated 2.93±0.80 months after lambing. The lambing interval was 8.50±1.12 months with ewes reproduction index 2.17±0.98 (head/year). The pre-weaning mortality was 1.69 and sex ratio of kid was 43.65 for male and 56.35 for female. In conclusion, the reproductive management and performance of Sakub ewes kept by smallholder farmers in Brebes Regency were in good and normal condition with short calving interval (8.5 months) and low pre-weaning mortality (1.69) and able to produce lambs 2.17 head per year. © 2024 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.