Smallholder sheep owners' views on the value and management of Deccani crossbred 'FecB'-carrier ewes with a higher twinning percentage: implications for a future introgression extension program

Deccani sheep are reared on the Deccan plateau of India by smallholder sheep owners whose main source of income is lamb production. Deccani ewes usually give birth to only one lamb. The 'FecB' mutation, which increases prolificacy, was introduced into the Deccani breed from the Garole breed of West Bengal by the Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), to increase lamb production and incomes of sheep owners. In 2002 NARI began to disseminate 'FecB'-carrier rams and ewes into 26 local sheep owners' flocks to enable field testing of 'FecB'-carrier progeny born in those flocks. In order to assess their opinions of the 'FecB' rams and ewes and the resulting twin lambs, surveys were conducted with 23 of the participating sheep owners. They were asked to assess the perceived advantages, disadvantages and risks associated with twin lambs, to outline their management responses to twin lambs, and to describe their preferred ram phenotype. In general, the sheep owners' responses to twin lambs were positive. Twin lambs were viewed as more profitable than single lambs, with the main disadvantage cited as the need to undertake supplementary feeding and management to ensure adequate growth rates and survival of twin lambs. Recommendations made as a result of the survey include the need for further financial analysis of cost-effective supplementary feeding and management of twin lamb flocks; the development of phenotypes for 'FecB'-carrier rams that are more acceptable to local sheep owners; and the need for an education and extension program to support sheep owners in their adaptation of the new technology.