2023, № 103

UDC: 636.32/38.082
GSNTI: 68.39.15

Southern meat breeds sheep productivity in the South of Russia

Domestic breeds of sheep in the Corridel type: Soviet mutton-wool (SMW), North Caucasian mutton-wool (NC), and the new breed Southern mutton (SM) have a good potential for meat productivity and are zoned in the foothill and steppe zones of the North Caucasus. Good adaptation of mutton-wool sheep to different natural and climatic zones, pasture and stationary keeping technology determines the prospects of breeding sheep breeds for the production of lamb and mutton, which for a number of regions is one of the main types of meat products. Therefore, a comparative characteristic of the breeds of the intensive type, zoned in the south of Russia, in terms of meat qualities is relevant. For this, the productive qualities of young sheep of a new Southern mutton breed (hereinafter referred to as SM) were studied in comparison with sheep of the North Caucasian mutton-wool (hereinafter referred to as NC), Soviet mutton-wool breed (hereinafter referred to as SMW) in order to determine their effectiveness in purebred breeding. The level of meat productivity is estimated by growth rate, live weight of young sheep, muscle development and skeletal growth rate and their ratio, slaughter yield and morphological composition of the carcass. According to the results of a comparative analysis, the young sheep of the new breed (SM) surpass domestic semi-fine-fleeced breeds in live weight - by 9.5-12.0%, growth rate - by 9.2%, slaughter weight - by 10.0%, food conversion ratio - by 7.2%. The breed has high fertility (151%), maternal qualities that ensure 98% of the survival rate of lambs (1.48 per ewe) and the production of meat in live weight to weaning (4 months) - 43 kg, and at seven months - 63.6 kg. According to economic and biological features, the new breed of sheep (SM) is suitable for early mating of ewes from 8-9 months of age with a live weight of at least 40 kg. In comparison with the zoned mutton-wool breeds NC, SMW, from young animals of the Southern mutton breed, the production of additional products in live weight of four-month-old lambs is more than 10 kg per ewe. According to the characteristics of meat qualities, the advantage of young animals of the SM breed compared to the NC is: in terms of meatiness - by 5.9%, muscles in the fleshy part - by 17.8%, in terms of muscularity of the bones of the pelvic limb - by 23.2%. In terms of slaughter qualities, the interbreed differences between the young animals of the SM and their peers of the SMW did not exceed - in terms of slaughter yield - 2.2%, carcass weight - 2.4%, with the same coefficient of meatiness - 4.3, muscularity of the pelvic limb - by 7.0%.
Keywords: Lambs, mutton breeds, growth rate, live weight, carcass morphology, muscles, skeleton.
DOI: 10.21515/1999-1703-103-219-225

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Authors:

Kulikova Anna Yakovlevna, DSc in Agriculture, professor, FSBSI "Krasnodar Scientific Center for Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine".