Effects of rosemary extracts incorporation on Barbarine lamb’s growth and carcass characteristics
2013
S., Smeti | N., Atti | M., Mahouachi
The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of rosemary extracts (RE) incorporation on diet intake, lambs growth, carcass characteristics and composition. Thirty two fat tail Barbarine lambs (19.9 plus minus 2 kg body weight (BW)) were divided into 2 homogeneous groups according to BW. All sheep were fed 50 per cent alfalfa caps and 50 per cent concentrate. Two types of concentrate were used, the Control (C) and the experimental (RE) in which 0.06 per cent of RE (measured on fresh weight of the concentrate) was added. At the end of the growth trial (60 days), all animals were slaughtered. The BW at slaughter was similar for both groups (25 kg). Dressing percentage was not affected by RE incorporation (54.4 vs. 51.7 for C and RE, respectively). The gut was more developed for C group (1614 vs. 1495 g). The carcass weight was similar for both groups (10.9 vs. 10.7 kg for C and RE, respectively). Carcasses of RE group showed comparable fatness (22 per cent), less muscle (50.6 vs. 52.5 per cent) and a higher bone proportion than C one. In conclusion, small quantity of RE did not show significant effects on lambs’ growth and carcass composition.
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