FEEDLOT PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF KUNANNED AND INTACT SUDANESE DESERT SHEEP

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of kunan on growth rate , feed intake , live body measurements , carcass characteristics and meat quality of Sudanese desert sheep.Fourteen male lambs of Sudanese desert sheep with average weight of 14.46 Kg and with average age of about seven months were allotted randomly to two equal groups. One group was kunanned and the other group was left without kunan . All animals were offered a concentrate diet ( 10.97 % crude protein and 15.70 % metabolisable energy ) adlibitum . Kunan increased the feed consumption , kunanned lambs had significantly ( P<0.01 ) more feed intake than entire lambs . Kunan had no significant ( P>0.05 ) effect on growth rate , feed conversion ratio and slaughter weight . Live animal measurements were almost the same for the two groups . Body components expressed as percentages of empty body weight showed no significant effects of kunan with the exception of lungs and trachea and skin which were significantly(P<0.05)heavier for entire males than kunanned lambs , while the latter had significantly (P<0.05) heavier heart than the former . The proportion of the various wholesale cuts expressed as percentages of cold side weight were not significantly different between the two sex l groups . Entire lambs had significantly (P<0.05) higher fat percentage , while kunanned lambs had significantly ( P<0.01) higher bone percentage than entire lambs . Kunan affected the meat chemical composition, where fat percentage was significantly ( P<0.01) increased in entire lambs while moisture and protein percentages were not significantly different . There was a tendency for kunanned lambs to exhibit higher percentages compared with entire males . Entire lambs had significantly ( P < 0.01 ) lower percentages in both sacroplasmic and myofibrillar proteins . Water holding capacity was studied . Differences due to kunan were observed among the two treatment groups . Kunanned lambs had significantly (P<0.01) lower water holding capacity and had significantly (P<0.01) higher pH value than entire lambs .