Meat productivity and interior features of fat-tailed coarse wool lambs in the south-east of Kazakhstan

Abstract

Increased lamb production in the South-Eastern region of Kazakhstan confirms the economic feasibility of processing young sheep from 7 to 12 months. Unfortunately, domestic literature offers little information on the selection and appropriate use of 4-month-old lambs for this purpose; this accounts for the relevance and both scientific and practical significance of research aimed at increasing the meat productivity of 4-month-old lambs (depending on breed) in the semi-desert zone of the South-Eastern region of Kazakhstan, based on technological developments. The object of the study was lambs of fat-tailed coarse wool breeds: Edilbay, Hissar and Kazakh fat-tailed breeds. The animals were 4 months old and kept from birth in one flock at the Yntykbay farm in Almaty region. Among the three studied breeds, Gissar stands out in terms of carcass weight, slaughter weight, and specific gravity of the meat and carcass. High-quality carcasses were obtained from all groups; the Hissar breed had the yield of 17.5 kg (carcass yield was 78.3%).