Early weaning and concentrate supplementation on slaughter weight and carcass characteristics of lambs produced on pasture

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate the effect of early weaning and concentrate supplementation on the slaughter weight and carcass traits of Suffolk lambs in four production systems on Tifton-85 pasture: (1) suckling lambs not supplemented until slaughter; (2) suckling lambs supplemented with concentrate in creep feeders until slaughter; (3) early weaned lambs not supplemented until slaughter; (4) early weaned lambs supplemented with concentrate until slaughter. Lambs supplemented in creep feeding showed higher slaughter and carcass weights. Early weaning led to decrease and concentrate supplementation to increase in the yield and thickness of covering fat in the carcass, and the scores in pelvic-renal fat deposition, fat covering carcass and body condition to slaughter. Systems with early weaning and concentrate supplementation, and without weaning and supplementation allows that lambs reach suitable weight and body condition score to slaughter, resulting in production of carcasses with acceptable characteristics for marketing. Concentrate supplementation offered in creep feeders is useful to produce higher weight carcasses than those produced in systems with early weaning and concentrate supplementation, and without weaning and supplementation. The use of early weaning as a single strategy to produce lambs in pasture leads to unsuitable weight and body condition score to slaughter and is not recommended.