Effect of pre-weaning plane of nutrition on subsequent growth
and carcass quality of lambs
A.H. Kirton
Ruakura Agricultural Research Centre, Hamilton
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Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1970, 30: 106-115
Two groups of hill country lambs, differing in liveweight by 5.8
kg at weaning at approximately 14 weeks of age, were run together on
good sheep pastures for 10 weeks. Their liveweight growth curves were
essentially parallel and the estimated difference in carcass weight
between the groups at the beginning of the experimental period was
reduced by only 22% at the end of the growth period, suggesting that
compensatory growth was of little practical significance. A second group
of the low plane lambs took a further 8 weeks to reach the same
slaughter liveweight as the initially larger lambs. The same weight of
fat was laid down after weaning in the carcasses of the high plane and
low plane lambs slaughtered at the same time, and the carcasses of the
low plane lambs slaughtered at the same weight as the high plane lambs
were similar in composition to these lambs.
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
Last Updated 24-08-2000
