Effects of Age and Sex on Liveweight and Body Composition of the West African Dwarf Sheep

Abstract

SIXTEEN animals selected from the sheep flock of the University were divided into four age-groups [4, 30, 150-180 and 360-420 days) with each group consisting of two males and two females. They were weighed just before slaughter to obtain their live-weights. Weights of drainable blood, head, hot carcass, trotters, intestinal and stomach contents, liver, kidney, heart, spleen and lungs were recorded and expressed as percentage of the ingesta-free body or empty body weight [E.B.W.].  All body components measured increased in weight with increasing age, but when expressed as percentage of the E.B.W., showed a progressive decrease with advancing age, except the stomach and intestinal contents. The percent moisture content of the visceral organs decreased with advancing age while the percent crude protein and ether extracts increased with age.  Sex effects on live-weight and weights of some body components were not apparent at the early age-groups. At maturity however, the males generally had higher values for the various body components. Similarly, the chemical composition of the visceral organs showed very little sex differ ences before maturity; after this stage the males consistently had higher moisture and crude protein values and lower either extracts values than the females.