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A note on the effect of autumn shearing on performance of fattening lambs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

A. D. Salman  and
E. Owen
A. D. Salman
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Reading RG6 2AT
E. Owen
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Reading RG6 2AT
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Abstract

Forty-eight castrate male and female Suffolk cross Mule lambs were used in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment to investigate the effect of autumn shearing and sex on growth performance over 46 days before slaughter. Lambs were penned individually outdoors and given pelleted lucerne ad libitum.

Shearing increased average food intake by 0·072 (P<0·05), live-weight gain by 0·149 (P<0·01) and carcass weight by 0·058 (P<0·05). It is concluded that shearing is financially worthwhile in climatic conditions such as the present experiment.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , December 1981 , pp. 337 - 338
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1981

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References

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