An alternative approach for sustainable sheep meat production: implications for food security

Table 2 Initial liveweight, liveweight at slaughter, hot carcass weight, dressing percentage and GR fatness (GR = total muscle and fat tissue depth at 11^th/12^th rib intersection, 110 mm from the midline) of maternal composite (Composite) lambs and Merino yearlings fed camelina hay (CAMH), camelina meal (CAMM) supplemented pellet diet or control pellet diet (CONT)¹

Items	Composite lambs			Merino yearlings (hogget)			SED	P-value
	CONT	CAMH	CAMM	CONT	CAMH	CAMM	Diet × Breed	Diet	Breed	D × B
Initial liveweight, kg	33.6	33.6	33.8	40.1	40.1	40.1	0.16	0.78	0.001	0.51
Liveweight at slaughter, kg	51.2	52.8	54.1	50.8	52.9	51.0	0.99	0.05	0.06	0.09
Liveweight gain, kg	17.6	19.1	20.3	10.7	12.8	10.9	0.91	0.02	0.001	0.10
Liveweight gain per day, g	254	276	292	154	186	158	14	0.04	0.001	0.13
Carcass weight, kg	23.9	25.3	25.2	23.3	23.7	23.3	0.43	0.03	0.001	0.12
Dressing percentage, %	46.8^b	48.0^c	46.6^b	46.1^ab	45.0^a	45.8^a	0.49	0.63	0.001	0.008
GR fatness, mm	16.6	17.8	17.1	15.7	17.5	15.44	0.98	0.10	0.13	0.69

¹Values within a row followed by different letters are significantly different at P = 0.05. SED Standard error of difference, D × B Interaction of diet by breed

ISSN: 2049-1891