STUDY OF CARCASS QUALITY IN LOCAL SHEEP

Abstract

The experimental work of this study was carried out on Ossimi and crossbred (I /20ssimix i/2Rahmani) male Jambs at Moshtohor experimental fann, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University (Banha Branch). At three months of age (weaning) twenty five Ossimi male lambs and twenty one crossbred (Ossimi x Rahmani) male lambs were chosen randomly from the sheep flock and were divided into three groups. The first group, which consists of seven Ossimi Jambs and six crossbred lambs, were fed fattening ration for three months and slaughtered at 6 months of age, meanwhile the rest lambs were fed nonnal growing ration. The second group, which consists of eight Ossimi lambs and six crossbred lambs were fed fattening ration for three months from 6-9 months of age, also and slaughtered at 9 months of age. The third group consists of the rest lambs fed fattening ration from 9-12 months of age and slaughtered at 12 months of age. Body weights, daily live body weights and their changes during the three age stages, efficiency of feed conversion, carcass evaluation and chemical and physical meat traits were subjected to present investigation. The results could be summarized as follows: 1. Body weights and daily gain from 3 months to yearling of lambs subjected to 3 fattening periods:- The averages of initial and final live body weights at the three fattening periods were 19.42 and 28.11, 31.73 and 37.38, 36.89 and 43.66 kg, respectively. Crossing Ossimi rams with Rahmani ewes was not associated with increasing body weights of crossbred lambs relative to Ossimi lambs. The differences between body weights, due to the effect of different ages at period offattening, were significant (P<O.OOl ), while due to breed-group effect were non-significant.