Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T21:29:31.919Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Genetically size-scaled growth and composition of Dorset and Suffolk rams

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

A. M. Oberbauer ,
A. M. Arnold  and
M. L. Thonney
A. M. Oberbauer
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, 114 Morrison Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853–4801, USA
A. M. Arnold
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, 114 Morrison Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853–4801, USA
M. L. Thonney
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, 114 Morrison Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853–4801, USA
Get access

Abstract

Thirty-four Dorset and 34 Suffolk rams were slaughtered in pairs within breed at birth, weaning, at monthly intervals to 420 days and then at bimonthly intervals until 600 days to compare factors used to estimate mature size and to determine how genetic size-scaling affects the comparison of body composition between breeds. At equal empty body weights there were no detectable differences between the breeds in amounts of water, protein or ash but Dorsets contained more lipid. Dorset and Suffolk asymptotic values of water (40 and 61 kg), water-plus-protein-plus-ash (51 and 77 kg), metacarpal bone length (127 and 147 mm) and metacarpal bone weight (59 and 101 g) were used to estimate mature size. Regardless of the estimator of mature size, there were no significant differences between breeds in degree of maturity at a given metabolic age. At the same degree of maturity within the estimators of mature size, there were no differences between breeds in the degree of maturity of water, protein or ash, with the exception of small differences in protein for two of the mature size indicators. Because lipid appeared to accumulate without limit in these sheep, the mature body was assumed to contain 300 g lipid per kg. Using this proportion to estimate amount of mature lipid, there was a higher degree of maturity of lipid for Suffolk than for Dorset rams at equal degrees of maturity of water, water-plus-protein-plus-ash or metacarpal bone weight. Thus, Dorsets with greater lipid content at equivalent empty body weights were leaner than Suffolks when adjusted for mature size.

Keywords

body compositiongrowthsheepsize-scaling
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 59 , Issue 2 , October 1994 , pp. 223 - 234
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Blaxter, K. L., Fowler, V. R. and Gill, J. C. 1982. A study of the growth of sheep to maturity. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 98: 405–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brody, S. 1945. Bioenergetics and growth. Reinhold, New York.Google Scholar
Butterfield, R. M. 1988. Neiu concepts of sheep growth. University of Sydney, Australia.Google Scholar
Butterfield, R. M., Griffiths, D. A., Thompson, J. M., Zamora, J. and James, A. M. 1983. Changes in body composition relative to weight and maturity in large and small strains of Australian Merino rams. 1. Muscle, bone and fat. Animal Production 36: 29–37.Google Scholar
Calvert, C. C, Famula, T. R., Bernier, J. F. and Bradford, G. E. 1985. Serial composition during growth in mice with a major gene for rapid postweaning growth. Growth 49: 246–257.Google Scholar
Draper, N. R. and Smith, H. 1966. Applied regression analysis. John Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Firth, N. L., Ross, D. A. and Thonney, M. L. 1985. Comparison of ether and chloroform for Soxhlet extraction of freeze-dried animal tissues. Journal of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists 68:1228–1231.Google ScholarPubMed
Gaili, E. S. E. 1993. A comparison of body components of indigenous Saudi sheep breeds related to relative mature size and growth rate. Animal Production 57:113–118.Google Scholar
Goldspink, G., Scutt, A., Loughna, P. T., Wells, D. J., Jaenicke, T. and Gerlach, G. F. 1992. Gene expression in skeletal muscle in response to stretch and force generation. American Journal of Physiology 262: R356–R363.Google ScholarPubMed
Hooper, A. C. B. 1978. Muscles and bones of large and small mice compared at equal body weights. Journal of Anatomy 127: 117–123.Google ScholarPubMed
Lister, D. 1980. Hormones, metabolism and growth. Reproduction, Nutrition and Dévelopment 20: 225–233.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McClelland, T. H., Bonaiti, B. and Taylor, St C. S. 1976. Breed differences in body composition of equally mature sheep. Animal Production 23: 281–293.Google Scholar
Nour, A. Y. M. and Thonney, M. L. 1987. Carcass, soft tissue and bone composition of early and late maturing steers fed two diets in two housing types and serially slaughtered over a wide weight range. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 109: 345–355.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oberbauer, A. M., Currie, W. B., Krook, L. and Thonney, M. L. 1989. Endocrine and histologic correlates of the dynamics of the metacarpal growth plate in growing rams. Journal of Animal Science 67: 3124–3135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roberts, R. C. 1979. Side effects of selection for growth in laboratory animals. Livestock Production Science 6:93–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Searle, T. W. and Griffiths, D. A. 1976. Differences in body composition between three breeds of sheep. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 11: 57–60.Google Scholar
Steel, R. G. D. and Torrie, J. H. 1960. Principles and procedures of statistics. McGraw-Hill, New York.Google Scholar
Taylor, St C. S. 1965. A relation between mature weight and time taken to mature in mammals. Animal Production 7: 203–220.Google Scholar
Taylor, St C. S. 1980a. Genetic size-scaling rules in animal growth. Animal Production 30: 161–165.Google Scholar
Taylor, St C. S. 1980b. Live-weight growth from embryo to adult in domesticated mammals. Animal Production 31: 223–235.Google Scholar
Taylor, St C. S. 1982. Theory of growth and feed efficiency in relation to maturity in body weight. Proceedings of the second world congress on genetics and applied livestock production, vol. 5, pp. 218–230.Google Scholar
Taylor, St C. S. 1985. Use of genetic size-scaling in evaluation of animal growth. Journal of Animal Science 61: suppl. 2, pp. 118–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, St C. S. 1987. Genetic aspects of mammalian growth and survival in relation to body size. University of Queensland, Brisbane.Google Scholar
Thonney, M. L., Taylor, St C. S. and McClelland, T. H. 1987. Breed and sex differences in equally mature sheep and goats. 1. Growth and food intake. Animal Production 45: 239–260.Google Scholar
Thonney, M. L., Taylor, St C. S., Murray, J. I. and McClelland, T. H. 1987. Breed and sex differences in equally mature sheep and goats. 2. Body components at slaughter. Animal Production 45: 261–276.Google Scholar
Webster, A. J. F. 1980. The energetic efficiency of growth. Livestock Production Science 7: 243–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, J. D., MacFie, H. J. H., Pomeroy, R. W. and Twinn, D. J. 1980. Carcass composition in four sheep breeds: the importance of type of breed and stage of maturity. Animal Production 30:135–152.Google Scholar