Biometric characteristics and carcass quality of lambs raised in two feeding systems.

This study evaluated biometric measures and carcass quality of Corriedale lambs crosses in two feeding systems: a)- weaned animals grazing in cool season annual ryegrass pasture and b)-animals maintained together with their mothers in deferred native pasture. Approximately at three months of age animals were separated in two homogenous groups regarding weight , body condition and sex in order to be allocated to treatments. Growth and development of lambs were evaluated through weight, body condition, thoracic perimeter, compacity and body structure. At the end of the experiment, a sample of animals from each treatment was sacrificed to evaluate carcass characteristics (body and regional componentes), losses due to cooling and carcass yield tiself, besides commercial, slaughterhouse and farm yields. Data were submitted to analysis of variance and means compared by F-Test or by the non-parametric Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test (p<0.05), accordingly to the type of variable. Lambs with predominating Corriedale breed, raised with their mothers in deferred native pasture and those weaned and maintained in cool season annual ryegrass pasture, presented similar growth and devlopment. Finishing lambs together with their mothers in deferred native pasture may result in greater hot and cold carcasss weights, commercial and slaughterhouse yields and skin proportion, besides having longer carcasses with greater depth and proportion of leg.Sem bolsaO objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as medidas biométricas e a qualidade da carcaça de cordeiros cruza Corriedale em dois sistemas de criação em pastejo: desmamados mantidos em pastagem de azevém anual e mantidos com as mães tendo como base alimentar o campo nativo diferido. Aproximadamente aos três meses de idade os animais foram separados em dois grupos homogêneos quanto ao peso, condição corporal e sexo para serem alocados aos tratamentos. Foram avaliados o crescimento e o desenvolvimento dos cordeiros através do peso, condição corporal, perímetro torácico, compacidade e estrutura corporal. Ao término do período experimental, uma amostra dos animais de cada tratamento foi abatida para avaliação das características da carcaça (componentes corporais e regionais), das perdas por resfriamento e dos rendimentos de carcaça propriamente dito, rendimento comercial, no frigorífico e na fazenda. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância e as médias comparadas pelo teste F ou pelo teste não paramétrico Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney (P