HERITABILITIES AND GENETIC CORRELATIONS IN MORPHOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS OF BABY TEETH IN RAMBOUILLET AND ROMNELET SHEEP
Data were used from 1009 Rambouillet and 1104 Romnelet lambs representing 40 sires of each breed. Traits studied were: width of the two central incisors measured at the bottom and the top of each tooth; length of the three pairs of central incisors; angle of the central incisors with the upper jaw; and distance between the two canines at the base. Least squares analyses estimated effects of year, age of dam, sex, type of rearing, sires, and regression of trait on age of lamb. Estimates of genetic parameters were obtained for each breed from paternal half-sib analysis. Heritabilities for width of the two central incisors measured at the top averaged 0.63. Heritability estimates for length of the central pair of incisors averaged 0.58, of the next adjacent pair, 0.51, and of the third pair (from the center) 0.41. Heritability estimates for the angle of the front teeth with the upper gum averaged 0.24 and the distance between the two canines, 0.38. Most of the genetic correlations between width of the central incisors and the other measurements were positive.