Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T23:20:49.808Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Growth and body composition of Omani local sheep 1. Live-weight growth and carcass and non-carcass characteristics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

O. Mahgoub  and
G. A. Lodge
O. Mahgoub
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Food Sciences, College of Agriculture, Sultan Quaboos University, PO Box 34, Al-khod 123, Sultanate of Oman
G. A. Lodge
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Food Sciences, College of Agriculture, Sultan Quaboos University, PO Box 34, Al-khod 123, Sultanate of Oman
Get access

Abstract

Forty-five local Omani ram, wether and ewe lambs were reared from birth until slaughter at 18, 28 or 38 kg live weight (five of each ‘sex’ at each weight group) on an ad libitum concentrate diet and Rhodesgrass hay.

Ram lambs grew faster from birth and reached predetermined slaughter weights earlier than wether and ewe lambs. At 28 kg live weight, ram lambs had: heavier heads, feet, reticulo-rumens and livers; higher muscle and bone and lower fat proportions in the carcass; lower muscle: bone and higher muscle: fat ratios; higher proportions of carcass but lower non-carcass fat than had wether and ewe lambs. The head, feet, alimentary tract, liver and heart of Omani sheep grew at a lower rate; the skin grew at a similar rate and the carcass grew at a rate faster than empty body weight (EBW). Relative to EBW, muscle grew at a similar rate, fat faster and bone slower. Both carcass and non-carcass fats grew at a rate higher than that of the growth of EBW, with non-carcass fat growing at a higher rate than that of carcass fat. The growth rate of omental fat was the fastest followed by kidney, mesenteric, subcutaneous, tail, scrotal, intermuscular and pelvic fats respectively.

This study demonstrated that Omani sheep have good potential for growth if they are managed and fed satisfactorily. Omani sheep are early maturing for which reason it is recommended that they be slaughtered at lighter weights to avoid higher fat content in the carcass. Castration in Omani sheep is not recommended for production of meat lambs under intensive systems as it resulted in reduced growth rates and deposition of excess fat at lower slaughter weights.

Keywords

carcass compositioncastrationgrowthnon-carcass componentsOmani sheep
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 58 , Issue 3 , June 1994 , pp. 365 - 372
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anonymous. 1978. Livestock sector review and project identification. Final report, vol. 1. The sector review. A report prepared for Oman Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries by Hunting Technical Services Ltd and The Sudanese Investment and Consultations Co. Ltd.Google Scholar
Anonymous. 1986. Feasibility study for establishment of sheep production project in 1988. Final report prepared for Oman Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries by Arab Company for Livestock Development.Google Scholar
Butterfield, R. M. 1988. New concepts of sheep growth. Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Sydney, Australia.Google Scholar
Butler-Hogg, B. W. 1984. The growth of Clun and Southdown sheep: body composition and the partitioning of total body fat. Animal Production 39:405–411.Google Scholar
Everitt, G. C. and Jury, M. E. 1966. Effect of sex and gonadectomy on the growth and development of South Down × Romney cross lambs. 1. Effects on Iiveweight growth and components of live weight. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 66:1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferrell, C. L., Koong, L. J. and Nienaber, J. A. 1986. Effect of previous nutrition on body composition and maintenance energy costs of growing lambs. British Journal of Nutrition 56:505–605.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gaili, E. S. E. 1979. Effect of breed-type on carcass weight and composition in sheep. Tropical Animal Health and Production 11:191–198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gaili, E. S. E. and Mahgoub, O. 1981. Sex differences in body composition of Sudan Desert Sheep. World Review of Animal Production XVII:27–30.Google Scholar
Gatenby, R. M. 1986. Sheep production in the tropics and subtropics. Longmans, London.Google Scholar
Geenty, K. G. and Sykes, A. R. 1981. Intake and growt h performance of grazing lambs weaned at 4 and 12 weeks of age. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 41:235–241.Google Scholar
GRM International Pty. Ltd. 1984. Master plan for the development of livestock sector. Final report for Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Sultanate of Oman.Google Scholar
Hammond, J. 1932. Growth and development of mutton qualities in sheep. 2nd ed.Oliver an d Boyd, London.Google Scholar
Huxley, J. 1932. Problems of relative growth. Methuen, London.Google Scholar
Kirton, A. H. and Morris, C. A. 1989. The effect of matur e size, sex and breed on patterns of change during growth and development. In Meat production and processing. Occasional publication, New Zealand Society of Animal Production, no. 11.Google Scholar
Lodge, G. A. 1989. The University experience and perspective. First international symposium on agriculture and fisheries development in Oman. Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat.Google Scholar
Mahgoub, O. 1988. Normal and manipulated growth of sheep with special reference to skeletal growth. Ph.D. thesis, Lincoln College, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Owen, J. B. 1976. Sheep production. Bailliere Tindall, London.Google Scholar
Pálsson, H. and Vergés, J. B. 1952. Effects of plane of nutrition on growth and development of carcass quality in lambs. Parts I and II. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 42:1–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1985. SAS user's guide: statistics. Version 5.18. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Wood, J. D. 1982. Factors controlling fat deposition in meat animals. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 42:113–116.Google Scholar
Wood, J. D., MacFie, H. J. H. and Brown, A. J. 1983. Effects of body weight, breed and sex on killing-out percentage and non-carcass component weights in lambs. Meat Science 9:89–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed