Body composition of young sheep and goats determined by the tritium dilution technique

Abstract

SUMMARYTen young crossbred Finnish Landrace sheep and eleven young crossbred Damascus goats with liveweights ranging from 14 to 50 kg and of different ages and body condition, were used to develop equations to predict the body composition (chemical) in the intact body and dressed carcass of young sheep and goats. After injection with tritiated water, the animals were slaughtered and their carcasses partitioned into anatomical body components which were each analysed for chemical composition (water, fat, protein, ash) and energy content. From these components, the energy content and chemical composition of the intact bodies were calculated by summation. Apart from organ and gut fat, the two species had a similar body component composition. Goat intact bodies were more hydrated and had less fat, but were similar to sheep in protein and ash content. The energy concentration in their body components was also similar, but goats had a lower energy concentration in their intact bodies. Total body water, energy content and dressed carcass were predicted accurately by the derived equations, but fat, protein and ash were predicted with less precision.