Carcass characteristics of growing sheep fed diets with different babassu meal levels

The carcass characteristics, yields and linear measurements of 24 non-castrated non defined breed lambs (SPDR) with 4.8 +/- 0.8 months of age and mean initial live weight of 20.45 +/- 3.25 were evaluated. The animals were kept in individual stalls and fed with diets containing 0, 10, 20 and 30% of babassu meal. A block randomized design, with six replicates and four treatments was used. A linear decreasing effect of the babassu meal on the empty-body-weight, live weight at slaughter, and cold and hot carcass weight was observed. The half-carcass weight, shoulder weight, ribs (from 1(st) to 5(th) and from 6(th) to 13(th)), braes, loin and leg, also showed decreasing linear effect with babassu meal levels. The neck weight presented quadratic effect. Dressing cuts were not influenced by babassu meal levels (averages of 20.47, 8.65, 6.94, 9.71, 10.36, 9.11 and 33.07% for shoulder, neck, ribs (from 1(st) to 5(th)), ribs (from 6(th) to 13(th)), breast, loin and leg, respectively). For the carcass measurement, there was linear decreasing effect for the carcass compactness, rib eye area, hind perimeter, leg length and carcass internal length. Diets with babassu meal levels higher than 10% affected negatively weights and yields, as well the commercial cuts and measurements of the carcass of sheep in feedlot.