| Summary: | Records of the Esenburg stud where the Dormer sheep breed originated in 1941, were anaysed from 1941 to 1990 to investigate non-genetic factors contributing to early growth traits. The fixed effects, identified as having a significant (P< 0.01) effect on birth weight, weaning weight, average daily gain and Kleiber ratio, were year-season, age of dam, sex, birth status and level of inbreeding. Although some significant interactions were found, they were subsequently ignored owing to their very small effects. A model best describing the data, which can be used for further analyses, is constructed and discussed. It is advocated that the uniqueness of each population and situation necessitates such an analysis in each specific case.
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