Genetic type, sex, age at slaughter and feeding system effects on carcass and cut composition in lambs

The aim of this research was to estimate the effects of grading up of Gentile di Puglia with Ile de France on carcass traits and the composition of cuts in lambs slaughtered at 35 and 54 days of age. The results evidenced that the crossbred Gentile di Puglia × Ile de France can achieve satisfactory targets in terms of heavier carcasses and commercial cuts, with a higher lean/bone ratio than GP as long as the F2 subjects are obtained. The best productive performances was obtained from male lambs rather than female lambs and from lambs slaughtered at 56 rather than 35 days of age. The artificial feeding system permitted an improvement on carcass and cut characteristics, even if these effects are apparent only at 56 days of age. Therefore, this feeding system should be encouraged to obtain heavier animals at slaughter, increasing the farmer's income and improving carcass quality.