Using Body Measurements and Real-Time Ultrasound to Evaluate Carcass Characteristics of Male Damascus Kids

Linear body measurements and real-time ultrasound may serve as crucial factors in cost-effective carcass prediction, thereby facilitating value-based marketing of living animals. The current study aimed to evaluate carcass components and cuts of male Damascus kids from body and ultrasound measurements. Besides investigate the effect of presence of horns and type of birth (single or twins) on body measurements and carcass characteristics. Thirteen male Damascus kids aged 12 months were used in the study. Ultrasound measurements were taken with probe (7.5 MHZ) between the 12th and 13th thoracic vertebra on live kids.Body measurements, carcass components and cuts of horned kids were higher than those of hornless ones. The birth type showed no significant influence on body weight and measurements at 12 months and on carcass components and cuts. Body length was entered in all prediction equations to predict carcass cuts and measurements. Afterward, heart girth and chest width were the most variables used in prediction equations. Ultrasound measurements (depth, area, width) of rib-eye muscle on live kids led to accurate prediction for weights of hot carcass, leg, flank, shoulder, neck, best end of neck, middle neck in their carcasses. Accurate prediction equations were obtained to predict real eye muscle width, depth and area using ultrasound measurements of rib-eye muscle width, depth, area, respectively. R2 accounted 33% to predict width of rib-eye muscle (P<0.05). Moreover, ultrasound depth and area of rib-eye muscle contributed 51% and 61%, respectively of the total variation in real depth and area of eye muscle (P<0.01).