Body composition studies on the Romney ewe : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree, Master of Agricultural Science in the University of New Zealand

Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for

a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and

private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without

the permission of the Author.

MASSEY AGRICULTURAL COLLFGE

LlBRAftY ·fiALMERSTtN NOftTH, N.Z.

BODY COMPOSITION STUDIES ON THE

ROMNEY EWE

(In

^T.vc

Parts)

A ;.rhesis Presented in Part1nl Ful:f1lment of the R{�q_uire...nents for ^the Degree

in the University of New

�ealand

by

a.J.

Ul3&, t y 1cultural

^OoU

1960

caa;pter

I II

III

TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I

COMPARISONS OF

GROlvTH

AND BODY COMPOSITION OF SHEEP GRAZING FOUR DIFFEREN'T PASTURES

INTRODUCTION

ID."'VIEW OF LITERATURE

1 .

M.Bf'..SUREMENT OF _{GROWTH AND} DEVELOPMENT

2.

^THE PATT.!!;RN OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT WITH Pl\RTICULAR REFERKNCE TO THE SHEEP

( 1)

^{Change in} Anatomical Components

(2)

^{Change 1n} Chemical Components

3.

^BFFl!-:cT

0:11,

NUTRI '.l'IOI'i

ON BODi

COMPOSITION

( 1 )

Change 1n Anatomical Components

( 2)

^{Change in} Chemical Components

4.

EV,\LUATING PASTUllliS BY MKi\NS OF SHEEP

5.

EFFECT OF BI THRANK ON _BODY COMPOSITION

MA.TBRLU.S .r'\ND METHODS

1.

INTRODUCTION

2.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

( 1 )

^Pastures

(2) Sheep 3

• MANAGEMEN'l

( 1 ) Pre-experiiOOn

^tal

( 2) lb:perimn

tal

4.

THE SEL!DTION

AND MANAGEMENT OP THE

^ANIMALS

E!JI!

1 2 2

8 8 12 17 17 23 25 30 33 33 34 34

34 36 36 36

USED FOR

CARCASS ANALYSIS LID

( 1 ) sela;:t1on 40

( 2) llarlqement 41

Chapter

IV

V VI

5.

PRE-SLAUGHTER TmHNIQUES

6.

SLAUGHTER TECHNIQUES

AND

RECORDS 7. POST-BLAUGHTER TECHNIQUES

8.

_{CARCASS DATA}

( 1 )

Whole Carcass

Treatment ( 2) Right Side

( 3)

_Le:ft

Side

9. STATISTICAL METHODS

RESULTS

1

^• LIVEWEIGHT GROVITH

Page

42 42 43 44 44 45 47 4B

53 53

2. CARCASS WEIGHT _Al'fD COMPOSITION

56

( 1)

Carcass Weight

56

( 2)

Carcass Composition

57

( a)

_Chemical

Data 57

( i) Weight

Com

p

_onen^ts

57 ( i1) Percentage

Com

p

o

n

e

nt

s

58

(b)

Dissection

Data 60

( 1) Weight

Components

60

( ii) Percentage Components 60 3.

ORGAN _AND GASTRD-INTESTINAL CONTEN'r WEIGHTS

61

( 1 )

Organ Weights

61

( 2) Gastro-intestinal

_Content

Weights 62 4.

TB& FAT-FREE CARCASS AND ITS COMPONENTS

5. INTERACTION

6.

DISCUSSION

( 1 ) Pasture 'Mfi

et

( 2} Mrtb.rank Bttect GENERAL

DISCUSSION

SUMMARY AND COBDLUSIOOB

63 63 64 64 68

71

Cha:pter I I

^I

III

IV

PART

II

STUDIES

O N THREE

METHODS

^OF

FSTIMATING

THE

COMPOSITION 0�' .ANIMALS

INTRODUCTION

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

1.

CHEMICAL

AliALYSIS OF MEAT

2. RELATIONSHIPS

_BETWEEN ^CHEMICAL _AND

DISSECTIBLE COMPOSITION

3•

ESTIMATION

OF

BODY COMPOSITION FROM SUB­

CUTANEOUS

FAT THICKNESS

(1)

_Carcass

Measurements

(2)

Probes on the Live .A.nimal

(3) The Lean-meter (4)

^Other

Measures 4.

SP:EXJIFIC

GRAVITY

80

82 82

85

87 87 90 91 94 95 ( 1) The Constancy of

too Fat-Free

Mass 95 (2) Specific Gravity as a M

e

a

_sur

e

of

Carcass

Composition 97

103

1. A COMPARISON OF CHEMICAL AliD

DISSECTION ANALYSES 103 2. A OOIIPARISCif

^OF TWO

ME:fHO:OO OF ESTIMATING

PRCJl'EIB

103

). LEAN-METER

MEASUREMENTS 4. SPJ!X}IPIO

_OlL\VI'fi

104 106 107

1.

A COMPARISON

_{OP 0}

ICAL AND DISSJIJTION

_ANALYSES

107 ( 1 )

Whole Oareaaa

(2) Leg

107 109

Qhapter

V

VI

(.3)

^Loin

(4)

^{Rib Cut}

(5)

"Rest11

(6 )

Discussion

2.

A COMPARISON OF TWO ^METHODS O J.i' ESTIMATING

P!B!

11 1 11.3 1 14 1 1 5

PROTEIN 1 17

,3.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LEAN-METER MEASUREMENTS •

SUBCUTANEOUS FAT

DEP.rH,

_AND CARCASS COMPOSITION

1 20 4.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY AS A MEASURE OF CARCASS

COMPOSITION

GENERAL DISCUSSION

SUMMARY

At"'D OOHCLUSIOl�S

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1 24

125 130

1 .33

Tabl!

1

2 3 4

5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14

LIST OF TABLES

C_ompo

s

ition �

Entire

_Bodi

e s

of Shee:p ^-

Empty Weight Basis

Compos

it

_{ion o£ Em:pty}

Bodies

Birthrank Categories

of the

Ewes Studied

by P

a

^ls

so

n

(1953)

Comparison of the Li veweigh

ts ( lb)

^a:f

Injected

_and

Non-Injected Ewes

The

_Gene

r

^al

Form of the

_Anal_y

s

_i

s

af Va

r i

an

ce

Mean

Liveweight (

l

b )

Mean

Frozen Carcass

Weight (lb)

Weight

of

_C

he

mi

c

a

l Components (l b )

Percentages

of

Chemical Components

W ei gh

_t

of Dissectible Components (lb) Percentages

of

Dissectible Components Organ and Offal Weights

i-leights of Stomach and

I

n tes ti

_n

al Contents (l b ) Ef'fect of

^Pasture and Birthrank ^on the Fat­

Free Ca

rcas s and

_i

t

s Components

Page

15 16 32

51 Facing

Page

53

P;�e

57

Fac i.ns?; Page

59 60 60 61 62

15 16 17

Subclass Means of Items Showing Interaction (lb)

63 64

75 1 8

Incidence of Liver

Lesions due to Facial

Bczema

Ohemical C�onen ts of the

^Ca

rc

^a

ss

^.

standard

Dev1 ations and

_Ranges

(

lb)

Means,

D1ssect1ble Com:poJJ.ente of

tbt

_Carcass.

Means

•

Standard Dev1 t1ons _and

Ranges ( lb)

19 Rel t1ansh1 Betw

n

Chemical

_{and D1ss} ^ct1ble

Oomponen

tb¥

107

Table 20

21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

31

32 33 34 35

Chemical Components of

tba

Leg.

Means, Standard

Deviations _and

Ranges (lb)

Disaect1ble Components

of

^the

Leg.

_Means, standard Devia tion.s

and

_Ranges

( lb)

Sone Re

la t1onsh1pe

_Between C

hemi

c^a

l and

Dis

s

e

c

^ti

b

^l

e

Components 1n ^the

Leg.

Chemical C_ompone

nts

_of tbe Loin.

Means,

Sta�dard Deviations

and �es (

_lb

)

DiBsectible

Components

_o

f the

_Loin.

standard Deviations and

Ranges ( lb) Means, Sorre Relationships Between Chemical and

Dissectible

C

ompon

e

_n^ts in

the Loin

Chemical Components of' the

Rib

_Cut.

Means,

S tandar•d

Dev ia ti

ons and

Rang

e

s ( lb )

Diosectible Components af the Rib Cut. Means, Standard Deviations

and Ranges ( lb )

Sorre

Helationships

Between Chemical and Dissectible

Components

_1n

the Rib Cut

Chemical Components

o:f the "Rest". Means,

Standard Deviations

and Ranges (

_lb)

Dissectible Components or ^the

"Rest".

_Means,

Standard

Deviations and

Ranges

_(lb)

Some Rela

tions

h

i

:t:e Between

C

hemic a l

^and

Disaectible

Compon.ents 1n the "Rest"

Percentage ^Oomposi tion o£ t.hc:s O.a.·u.Uo Rosidus

Means_, Standard Deviations

and Ranges

_or

Protein Wt.

(

_lb

)

_F.s tina

ted

_by Two Methods

Analysis

^of

Variance Between

1.\7o Methods

of Est1mating Protein

110

110 Facing

_Page

111

112 Faoing Page

112

P1ge 3

1 13

Facing Page

113

P��e

115

Facing Page

114

Page

118 119

119 Ave.rag

ter

and

Subcutan ous

Pat De:ptbs.

Means.

_SUmt!ard Deviations and

Range (in. } 120

Ana

_1s

of

Variance of Lean-meter Measurenents

12i

Table 37 38

39

Relatj.onships Between Lean-meter

Measure­

ments and Subcuta.neous

^Fat Depth (in.)

Re la.tionships Between Average Lean-JIBter Measurement,

Average Depth

of' Subcutaneous Fat, and s� Components of'

Body Compos! tion

Relationship

_or

Sl'ecif'ic Gravity to

_Soue

Measures of'

Carcass Composition

Facing Page

1 22

1 23

1 24

LIST

OF

FIGURES

Figur! ?age

1 �ne Partition

^of

Nutrients According

to Metabolic

_Rate

19

2 Division of Paddocks

Following Page

34

3

l;(e thods ^ol� Join ting

45

4 Growth Curves (First Trial) 53

5

^The

Lean-meter 104

.,

AODOWLEDODENTS.

The

autho:r

^wishes to thank his supervisor Mr.

B.A. Barton

for the assistance

and advice

given throughout

t

_h

i

s

proJee"·

'.£he 1ntel-.est and guidance _of' Professor A.L.

Rae1 particularly

1n statistical matters, is also gratefully acknowledged.

Ur. A.H. Kirtan gave much invalu�ble help

and advice.

'f'n.e ^a.u t.ll or is indebted to many membePs ^{of the} Massey Agricultural College and

D.S.I.a.

staffs, and particularly

to: Dr.

lL H. Jackraa.r1 for con<luc ting the Kjeldahl enalyse^s; Mr. M.F. McDonald. f'or info:'l'nntion ^an liver d.a.l.l':!ge caused by :racial ecze.r�a; Drs. ^{D. S .} Flux, G.�:v. Butler and F.R. ^Cockrem :fo1, ^{cons true ti} ve advice and cr•i tic ism, a_ld :.ass M. :3. Camp bell and her ^ltbrary stRf':f f'or aBuistanc3 in obta1niEg literature.

Special aclmo·.vledgerrent is due to ^Mrs., F. _Puckey

for typine

t��s thesis.

Plant

^Chemistry Laboratory,

D.S.I. R.

_supplied the sheep Ubed in tllis

IJrojeot.

1'hi.S

^{work was car:r.ied} out \vhile the au·thor

was assisted by N.z.

_Wool Board, Shell Oil

Oompany and University Senior

Scholarships.