Performance and carcass traits of lambs fed diets containing sunflower seed in creep feeding

Performance and quantitative and qualitative carcass traits of lambs fed with diets containing sunflower seed were evaluated. Sixteen lambs were randomly distributed to a completely randomized design with four diets (0.00, 6.60, 13.20 or 19.80% of sunflower seed, % as fed), with 4 replications. The diets contained 2.65, 2.78, 2.89 and 2.93 Mcal/kg of metabolize energy and 18.38, 18.75, 19.98 and 21.18% crude protein, respectively, and was ad libitum fed. The lambs were weighed every 14 days and kept with the ewes until they reached 28 kg, when were slaughtered, after solid fasting for 18 hours, to obtain slaughter body weight and recording hot carcass weight and gastrointestinal content, used in the calculation of empty body weight. The carcasses were kept for 24 hours in a cold room temperature of 5 degrees C to obtain cold carcass weight. Sunflower seed levels in the diet did not affect the performance characteristics of lambs. However, the hot carcass weight and cold carcass weight, the weights of neck, low, shoulder, rib, thru rib, loin and carcass commercial yields and rib, thru rib, loin, shoulder, neck and low showed effect of sunflower seed addition. The addition of sunflower seed in the diet does not influence the qualitative and morphometric characteristics of carcass of lambs.