Table 6.
Means and standard errors (M ± SE) of live animal performance and carcass characteristics of ewe and wether prime lambs
| Ewe | Wether | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial BW (kg) | 34.7 ± 0.89 | 35.9 ± 0.86 | 0.4320 ns |
| Final BW (kg) | 42.9 ± 1.1 | 45.5 ± 1.18 | 0.1336 ns |
| Total weight gain (kg) | 8.2 ± 0.5 | 9.8 ± 0.75 | 0.1202 ns |
| Av. Daily gain (g) | 167.5 ± 11.0 | 197.3 ± 15.29 | 0.1202 ns |
| Pre-slaughter weight (kg)a | 45.5 ± 1.2 | 45.5 ± 1.18 | 0.3318 ns |
| HCW (kg)b | 21.0 ± 0.7 | 20.3 ± 0.87 | 0.3662 ns |
| CCW (kg)c | 20.7 ± 0.7 | 20.0 ± 0.87 | 0.3738 ns |
| Dressing percentage (%) | 46.1 ± 0.9 | 44.4 ± 1.19 | 0.8343 ns |
| Fat thickness (mm) | 4.7 ± 0.3 | 4.0 ± 0.27 | 0.3389 ns |
| Body wall thickness (mm) | 15.9 ± 1.1 | 15.1 ± 0.62 | 0.6601 ns |
| GR fat score (1–5) | 3.6 ± 0.3 | 3.5 ± 0.16 | 0.6415 ns |
| Yield grade | 2.2 ± 0.1 | 2.0 ± 0.10 | 0.3385 ns |
| Rib eye area (cm2) | 15.2 ± 0.5 | 14.8 ± 0.51 | 0.4659 ns |
| BCTRC %d | 48.8 ± 0.2 | 49.0 ± 0.17 | 0.6550 ns |
| OTHe | 104.9 ± 3.4 | 101.6 ± 4.3 | 0.3662 ns |
apre-slaughter weight is the weight of animals (minus Merino ewes) prior to transport for slaughter. bHCW = Hot carcass weight. cCCW = Cold carcass weight. dBCTRC% = Boneless, Closely Trimmed Retail Cuts. eOTH = Over the hooks trade (this was based on 500¢ AU return per kg of HCW). Level of significance: ns not significant (p > 0.05)