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Breed differences in body composition of equally mature sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

T. H. McClelland ,
B. Bonaiti  and
C. S. Taylor
T. H. McClelland
Affiliation:
ARC Animal Breeding Research Organisation, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JQ
B. Bonaiti
Affiliation:
ARC Animal Breeding Research Organisation, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JQ
C. S. Taylor
Affiliation:
ARC Animal Breeding Research Organisation, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JQ
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Summary

Sheep from the Soay, Finnish Landrace, Southdown and Oxford Down breeds were serially slaughtered at about 40, 50, 60 and 70% of their estimated mature body weight. Breed and sex comparisons were made at these degrees of maturity. Large differences were found in the weight of muscle, fat and bone, total muscle ranging from a mean of 3·3 kg in the Soay to 13·0 kg in the Oxford Down; the corresponding range for dissected fat was 1·2 to 9·2 kg.

Most of the breed and sex differences observed at the same degree of maturity disappeared when expressed as a percentage of body or carcass weight. Thus both sexes had almost the same body and carcass composition in terms of fat, muscle and bone percentage. There were breed differences in fat percentage, with the Soay significantly less fat than the other breeds. Total muscle as a percentage of body weight was remarkably close to 28·5% in all breeds in both sexes, and at all four stages of maturity.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 23 , Issue 3 , December 1976 , pp. 281 - 293
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1976

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References

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