Abstract
The study was conducted at the “Merey” farm in the Almaty region on South Kazakh Merino sheep. The main objective of the research was the early prediction of the breeding qualities of sire rams and the determination of their breeding value based on the productive traits of their offspring. In modern sheep breeding, the selection of highly productive animals with high genetic potential is one of the key directions of breeding work. In this regard, the early evaluation of young rams makes it possible to determine their breeding value in a timely manner and improve the economic efficiency of sheep farming. During the study, the live weight, wool length, fleece weight, growth intensity, and meat productivity of offspring obtained from 7-month-old rams used for early mating with ewes were investigated. The breeding value of the rams was assessed based on the productivity indicators of their offspring at 4.5 and 7 months of age. In addition, slaughter yield, carcass quality, meat-to-bone ratio, wool productivity, and technological properties of wool were determined. The research results showed that the offspring of rams No. 101200, No. 102255, and No. 205060 exceeded the average values in live weight, wool length, fleece weight, and meat productivity, and therefore these rams were classified as improver sires. The offspring of rams No. 103099 and No. 204001 showed lower productivity indicators for several traits and were classified as neutral or deteriorating rams. The evaluation of meat productivity demonstrated that lambs at 7 months of age had high slaughter yield and good carcass quality characteristics. The obtained results indicate that the early evaluation of rams based on the quality of their offspring makes it possible to determine their breeding qualities two years earlier.