The Effect of Feeding System on the Carcass Quality of Crossbred Lambs with Texel

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of feeding system on the growth rate and carcass quality of crossbred Improved Jezersko-Solčava x Texel (JSRT) lambs and to evaluate the effect of sex on these traits. The trial was conducted in nature according to the traditional rearing systems. The trial included 44 crossbred lambs, which were born and reared until the slaughter in three different flocks. In the age of 10 days suckled lambs were offered with ad libitum corresponding diets according to the feeding system. All lambs were slaughtered in seven consecutive days by the same procedure. The effect of feeding system significantly affected daily gain from birth to slaughter, EUROP carcass conformation and shoulder width. Likewise, the effect of sex significantly affected daily gain from birth to slaughter and internal fatness of carcasses. According to carcass cuts the feeding system significantly affected only the proportion of neck and leg. Considering meat quality traits, feeding system had a significant effect on the pH 45 and CIE a* values. In this study, we could speculate that more than the feeding system the growth and the carcass traits as well as meat traits were affected by the amount of the supplement.

Keywords

• carcass characteristics
• lamb meat
• commercial crossing
• Improved Jezersko-Solčava sheep
• Texel sheep
• feeding system