@article{Dkhili:11704,
author = "Dkhili, Najet and Milán, María José and Caja, Gerardo",
title = "{El aumento de la prolificidad en el ganado ovino: Efectos
económicos en las explotaciones y fisiológico-nutritivos
en corderas de raza Ripollesa}",
year = "2013",
note = "This paper presents a study done in the Autonomous
Community of Catalonia (Spain) on the economic consequences
of increasing the prolificacy in farms of Ripollesa sheep
breed, a local breed intended for meat production, and its
effect on metabolic profile of ewe-lambs retained for
replacement. A survey was done in 10 representative farms
in 2 provinces of the above cited community: Girona and
Barcelona. The obtained data corresponded to the annual
average for 2010 and were statistically analyzed and
compared by mean of an analysis of variance. Results showed
that sheep farms studied were family type, with a flock
size of 554 ewes and 20 males, and 353.5 sheep attended by
worker, on average. Prolificacy and productivity showed
values of 1.28 lambs/litter and 1.18 lambs sold/ewe and
year, respectively, on average. Net margin was 10.7 €/ewe
per year, on average. Total income was 146.8 €/sheep and
year, the greater part coming from lamb sales (61.8%),
followed by subsides (36.2%) and the rest from selling
culled ewes and wool. On average, total costs were 136.1
€/sheep per year. Feeding costs were the greatest (43.2%)
in total costs, followed by labor costs (40.9%) and
depreciation costs (6.1%). Farms having a prolificacy
greater than the mean (1.28 lambs/ litter), were able to
pay the total costs and earned 25.8 €/ewe more per year.
On the same sense, a prolificacy increase of 0.1
lambs/litter resulted in 6.9 €/ewe of extra revenue. A
significant correlation between productivity and net margin
(R ² = 0.5) was detected, increasing 4.3 € for each 0.1
lambs products per ewe and year. Finally, flock size
resulted critical, recommending owning more than 400 sheep
per farm and exploiting 300 ewes per worker, on average.",
}