Growth and development of sheep

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

Dalton

Ackerley

1974

Self Cite

The growth and composition of 5-, 10-, and 15-month-old Merino, Romney, Corriedale, Perendale, and Border Leicester x Romney wethers on steep New Zealand hill country were studied. The Merinos grew slower than the Romneys and Corriedales, and the Perendales and Border Leicester x Romneys were the fastest-growing breeds, both in terms of live weight and carcass weight. Some benefits to hill country farmers of changing to a faster-growing breed of sheep are discussed.Data are given on the growth of various components weighed at slaughter, and detailed results are presented on the composition of the carcasses. The Romney is shown to be leaner than the other breeds at the same carcass weight. Growth coefficients differed between breeds lor omental fat, carcass protein, and eye muscle area.Taste panel results on leg roasts showed that the panel members preferred the meat from yearling sheep to that from young lambs. 283

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of sheep on New Zealand hill country

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

Dalton

Ackerley

1974

Self Cite

“…The experimental design and management of the experimental animals were fully described in Part II of this series (Fourie et al 1970), which noted that samples of male and female animals of the Southdown and Romney breeds and their cross were slaughtered at birth, at 1,6,11,16,25,41, and 80 weeks of age, and at maturity. The slaughter procedure and non-carcass components that were recorded on the 212 animals were also described.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A comprehensive growth study from birth to maturity on sheep of the Southdown and Romney breeds and their cross has been described previously (Fourie, Kirton, and Jury 1970). The growth of the non-carcass components, including the internal organs in this series of animals, is of interest from several points of view.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth and development of sheep

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

Fourie

Jury

1972

The growth of the hot carcass and some non-carcass components of 212 rams and ewes of the Romney and Southdown breeds and their cross was obtained from a comparative slaughter trial. Samples were slaughtered at birth, at 1, 6, 11, 16, 25, 41, and 80 weeks of age, and at maturity. Allometric growth coefficients are presented relating component weight to starved body weight together with estimates of component weights for the different breeds and sexes at 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 55 kg live weight. The growth of the fat depots and the stomach (excluding the abomasum) was markedly faster than that of the starved body weight, and the growth of most of the reproductive tract was moderately faster. The remaining body parts grew at rates similar to, or slower than, starved body weight.

“…Carcass cut-out information from previous trials (Fourie, Kirton & Jury, 1970;Kirton & Paterson, 1972) showed a higher proportion of muscular tissue in ram carcasses and only small differences in the distribution of cuts between ewe and ram carcasses. The higher proportion of muscular tissue in ram carcasses and the small differences in cut-out compared to ewes applied in older animals as well as younger ones.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Palatability of meat from electrically stimulated carcasses of yearling and older entire‐male and female sheep

Winger²,

Dobbie

et al. 1983

Int J of Food Sci Tech

Self Cite

Pasture-fed male and female sheep ranging in age from yearling to more than 4 years old were slaughtered at various times throughout the year. Carcasses were electrically stimulated and frozen.Flavour and odour of the cooked meat were evaluated with three different taste-testing procedures: an analytical laboratory taste panel, an in-house consumer taste panel and a mass consumer taste panel. Tenderness was assessed with both a tenderometer and the in-house consumer taste panel.None of the panels found any differences between the meat from yearling rams or ewes. The laboratory panel detected foreign flavours more commonly in the meat from older rams than older ewes. These foreign flavours were not considered objectionable by the other two taste panels; in fact, meat from the older rams was often preferred to the meat from the older ewes. There were no differences in objective tenderness among sheep from any age group. Taste panel results, however, showed meat from the older sheep to be less tender than that from the yearling sheep, but found no sex-related differences in tenderness between the mutton of similar-aged animals.