Morphometric and carcass characteristics of kid goats and lambs finished in feedlots

The objective of this study was to evaluate the genotype effect on the morphometric and quantitative characteristics of carcasses of kids and lambs finished in feedlot. A total of 34 entire male animals was used, 12 kid goats (1/2 BoerX1/2 SRD), 12 kid goats (1/2 Anglo NubianoX1/2 SRD) and 10 Santa Ines sheep, with initial live weight of 18.3 kg, average age of 135 days at the beginning of the trial. The averages of withers height, corporal compactness and thoracic perimeter of the Santa Ines genotype were superior to those of the kid genotypes. The hot and cold carcass dressing of the genotypes was similar, but losses from cooling in the Anglo Nubiano crossbred kid goats and Santa Ines lambs were larger than in the Boer crossbreds. Significant differences were observed among the genotypes only for carcass compactness. The lambs deposited more covering fat, presented larger loin eye area and leg circumference than the kid goats.