Prediction of Sheep Carcass Yield using Combinations of Ante-mortem and Post-mortem Measurements

Background: Various factors affect meat production of the sheep, such as feed, live weight at slaughter and genotype. The aim of this research was to provide information on relationship between ante-mortem and post-mortem measurements of sheep as a selection criterion in two breeds. Methods: This study was carried out on 151 male sheep (rams) belonged to Ouled Djellal breed (n=118) and Hamra breed (n=33) between March and June of 2023 at the municipal slaughterhouse in the wilaya of Tebessa. The animals were older than 12 months (adult individuals). Result: The data revealed that before slaughter of the Ouled Djellal rams had significantly higher body weight (68.31±11.14 versus 61.83±5.04 kg), compared to Hamra breed. There were significant differences in the following ante-mortem traits between two breeds: heart girth, scapular-ischial length and dactyl-thoracic index among the breed (P less than 0.05). After slaughter, the carcass weight (34.96±7.82 kg versus 30.53±4.33 kg) and the carcass yield (51.51 versus 49.15) were significantly higher (P less than 0.05) in Djellal than in Hamra breed. Therefore, the sheep of the Ouled Djellal breed were the heaviest; they had wider chest and longer carcass. However, the carcass conformation was better in Hamra breed (P less than 0.05). In conclusion, this study confirmed that sheep breed affects carcass conformation and suggested the ways of improving these breeds whose qualities of adaptability are no longer to be demonstrated.