Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-28T13:09:48.528Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The biological efficiency of meat production in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

R. V. Large
R. V. Large
Affiliation:
The Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, nr Maidenhead, Berkshire
Get access

Summary

The biological efficiency of meat production (E) is defined as the weight of carcass produced per 100 units of digestible organic matter (DOM) consumed. The factors affecting this relationship, for ewes and lambs, are discussed and the results of experiments are used to demonstrate the effect of number of lambs per year and size of ewe on the value of E. Calculations are made to show the effect on E of other factors such as the growth rate of the lambs and the weight at which the lambs are slaughtered. The general conclusions are that the highest values for E will be obtained from small breeds of ewes producing large litters and crossed with a large breed of ram, leading to a high growth rate and final size in the lamb. A relatively small increase in litter size in the small breeds of ewe (i.e. from one to two lambs) may result in a level of efficiency as high as that achieved by a larger breed with a large litter size (i.e. three to four lambs) without having to resort to techniques such as the artificial rearing of lambs.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 12 , Issue 3 , August 1970 , pp. 393 - 401
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1970

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

REFERENCES

Brody, S. 1945. Bioenergetics and Growth. Reinhold, New York.Google Scholar
Coop, I. E. 1961. The energy requirements of sheep. Proc. N.Z. Soc. Anim. Prod. 21: 79–91.Google Scholar
Lambourne, L. J. 1955. Recent developments in the field study of sheep nutrition. Proc. N.Z. Soc. Anim. Prod. 15: 36–46.Google Scholar
Newton, J. E. and Betts, J. E. 1966. Factors affecting litter size in the Scots Halfbred ewe. Treatment with PMS and progesterone. J. Reprod. Fert. 12: 167–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Treacher, T. T. 1967. Effects of nutrition on milk production in the ewe. Ph.D. Thesis, Univ. Reading, 1967.Google Scholar
Wallace, L. R. 1955. Factors influencing the efficiency of food conversion by sheep. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 14: 7–13.Google Scholar