@conference {40401,
	title = {Dose-response to a single injection of PMSG in Merino ewes carrying a double copy of the Booroola FecB gene},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {52},
	year = {1992},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {153-156},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	abstract = {Sheep shorn with a cover-comb were compared with conventionally  shorn sheep in two experiments. In the first experiment, ewe and lamb  performance and some aspects of ewe physiology were measured with 60  Romney ewes which were shorn before lambing. In the second experiment,  oxygen consumption by 12 Romney hoggets was measured before and after  shearing in calorimeters at 10 C.   In the first experiment, herbage intake by ewes in the 3 weeks post-  shearing was not affected by shearing method. There were no treatment  effects on the liveweight of ewes, birthweight and growth rate of lambs  nor on ewe wool production during the 2 months post-shearing. However,  on days 1 and 3 after shearing the plasma concentrations of non-  esterified fatty acids and of 3- hydroxybutyrate were higher in the ewes  shorn with the conventional comb than in those shorn with the cover  comb.   In the second experiment oxygen consumption was increased immediately  after shearing, by 47\% and 25\% in the conventional- and cover-comb sheep  respectively. The difference between the two groups, which remained  significant until day 12 post-shearing, decreased with time until it  disappeared on day 22.   The results show that sheep shorn with the cover-comb were significantly  more resistant to cold conditions than those shorn with the conventional  comb, particularly during the 3 days post-shearing. Use of the cover  comb may offer a useful low cost method of reducing the effects of cold  conditions after shearing, but its effects on mortality have not been  demonstrated.  },
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Shackell GH and Isaacs KL}
}
