Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of load carrying on muscle growth and development in sheep under conditions of restricted (exp. 1) and free choice (exp. 2) feeding. In exp. 1, the load-carrying sheep ate as much feed as their control counterparts to maintain a constant liveweight. There was no increase in total muscle mass in load-carrying sheep, although there were small shifts in muscle distribution. The proportion of muscle in the proximal thoracic limb appeared higher in load-carrying than in control sheep (15.2 vs. 13.3%; P = 0.07). In addition, bone weights in the thoracic limb were heavier in load-carrying than in control sheep. The changes in bone and muscle distribution ate assumed to be a direct response to increased load bearing. In exp. 2, load-carrying sheep are less feed and grew more slowly than their control counterparts. The only change directly attributable to the load-carrying exercise was an alteration in shape of the metacarpal bone. Key words: Sheep, load-carrying exercise, carcass composition, tissue distribution
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Subject
Animal Science and Zoology,Food Animals
Cited by
3 articles.
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