Various Honours Projects 2017
Animal Science
Sensors and pedigree confirmation: Project would involve using new sensor technology to determine if dam parentage can be established and how various factors (mob size, singles vs twins etc) influence their accuracy. This is a new and exciting industry applicable project that is only just starting out with great opportunity and potential.
Lambing density and improving lamb survival: Mob size and stocking rates are believed to affect lamb survival and this may be in part due to the interference when the ewe and lamb/s are establishing their bond at parturition. The project looks at ewe/lamb behaviour at birth and the interaction between other ewes and other lambs (foreign) at different mob sizes and stocking rates. You would focus on components within a larger National project involving a PhD student.
Reproduction in maiden ewes: The aim of this National project is to lift the weaning rate for 2-year-old maidens by 10-15%. You will work on commercial farms and quantify the effects of growth patch to joining, liveweight at joining and liveweight change during joining on reproductive performance of different Merino genotypes.
Feed efficiency in maternals: This project will try and understand why maternal type sheep can perform better under similar grazing conditions to Merino sheep. This could include field or pen studies and look at breed effects on components of appetite and efficiency including body composition using DEXA or CAT scans.
Liveweight change over summer – resilience: Genetic versus phenotypic fat and the impact on liveweight change. The increase in climatic events means our adult ewes don’t always have it easy – especially in late summer. Field work to test previous pen trials that showed increasing fatness improves a ewes “doing ability” during nutritional shortfalls.
Staple strength and the value of fat to counter nutritional effects: Staple strength, not fibre diameter is the main price driver in current wool markets. Can fatness buffer our ewes and reduce the staple weakness associated with reproductive demands on maternal energy stores. Use late pregnancy as a nutritional challenge to examine the effects of genetic fat on staple strength.
Condition score in ewe lambs and reproductive performance: Ewe lambs are being mated in management systems to increase lifetime ewe reproduction. Condition score is an important tool for improving reproductive performance in adults and has been demonstrated to be associated with ASBVs for PFAT, but not in ewe lambs. Create a valuable data set using commercial farms to examine condition score, liveweight and reproductive performance in young ewes.
Ground sensors and paddock usage in relation to weather: Mob size and stocking rates have impacts on lamb survival as well as maximising pasture utilisation – is the whole paddock being used? Use new weather sensors to look at micro climates in relation to paddock topography and flock movements.
Prediction of feed intake under grazing conditions: Predicting intake under grazing conditions is the holy grail for understanding the performance of sheep and cattle. This project will verify the potential for sensors and or accumulation of carbon dioxide to measure feed intake indoors and under paddock conditions.
Contact: Dr Serina Hancock