Abstract
Nutritional and other physiological factors are causes of variation in milk yield. In particular, the energy intake and the suckling stimulus of lambs greatly affect the milk yield of ewes in early lactation (Treacher, 1978; Hadjipanayiotou & Louca, 1976; Peart, Doney & MacDonald, 1975).In most eastern Mediterranean countries ewes are milked after weaning and the weaning age and the suckling regime determine both the amount of saleable milk and the rate of growth of lambs. The aim of the present work was to study factors affecting the milk yield of Chios ewes fed ad libitum and the growth of their lambs.
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