The relationship between live measurements and edible meat in Merino wethers

Abstract

Seventy-five Merino wethers of a medium Peppin strain were slaughtered at 7 months of age after a series of live measurements had been made, weights then being taken of carcass and of edible meat after boning out. Fat content was insufficient for trimming, and bone weight was obtained by difference.

Weight of edible meat was highly correlated (0.95) with liveweight before slaughter, and the inclusion of any other measurement in a multiple correlation analysis failed to raise this value. Variation in bone weight contributed only 25% of the variation in carcass weight, and the ratio of meat to bone was positively correlated (0.54) with liveweight before slaughter.

If total amount of edible meat is accepted as the criterion for meat production, liveweight before slaughter was a satisfactory predictor for these sheep. It is suggested that simplification of criteria along these lines is desirable to aid in the selection of sheep for meat production, though more work is required on sheep of other ages and other breeds.