Abstract
A study was conducted, first, to compare the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), reticulo-rumens and intestinal capacities (relative to body weight) of ram lambs from six Turkish sheep breeds: Turkish Merino (TM, Anatolia Merino), Akkaraman (AK), Kıvırcık (KV), Awassi (AW), Karayaka (KY) and Morkaraman (MK), and second, to examine the influence of sheep breed on the pH of the digesta in the various segments (rumen, jejunum and caecum) of the GIT. Six ram lambs from each breed were slaughtered at 40.2 ± 0.80 kg liveweight. Lambs from the AK breed had a heavier GIT weight than the AW, KY or MK breeds. The weight of the full stomach was higher in AK lambs compared with the other lambs, except for KV lambs, while the relative weight of the empty stomachs was heavier in MK ram lambs than in TM, AW and KY lambs. The AK lambs had the highest relative empty intestinal weight. The relative weight of empty intestines was heavier in KV lambs than in KY lambs. The pH of the rumen content was higher in TM and AK lambs compared with KY and MK lambs, while the pH of the caecum content of KV lambs was higher than those of KY and MK lambs. In conclusion, significant differences were found among the six breeds in terms of some variables that were studied, although a higher proportional GIT weight in the fat-tail breeds such as the MK, AK and AW was not reflected in all components or in the pH of the GIT content.Keywords: Native sheep breed, digestive system, rumen, small and large intestine, pH value
Highlights
As in the rest of the world, all breeds of sheep in Turkey are important, but at any one time, some breeds are more important than others, because they best meet the current demands of the sheep industry and the consumers of sheep products
Significant differences were recorded between the six breeds in terms of absolute and relative weights of gastrointestinal tract (GIT), full and empty stomach, and full and empty GIT, length of intestine and intestinal weight to intestinal length ratio (Table 2)
The relative weight of the full stomach was higher (P
Summary
As in the rest of the world, all breeds of sheep in Turkey are important, but at any one time, some breeds are more important than others, because they best meet the current demands of the sheep industry and the consumers of sheep products. Turkish Merino (TM, Anatolia Merino), Akkaraman (AK), Kıvırcık (KV), Awassi (AW), Karayaka (KY) and Morkaraman (MK) are common sheep breeds in Turkey (TurkStat, 2012). The main product of the AK, MK, KY and KV breeds is mutton, whereas AW is a multi-purpose sheep breed. Turkish or Anatolia Merino (TM) is a mutton-wool-type breed developed through crossbreeding the German Mutton Merino and the KV breeds. All these animals are breeds that range from small to medium size and are indigenous, except for the TM. These animals provide income, employment and food security to resource-limited farmers. Many studies investigating the slaughter and carcass traits of the AK (Guler & Aktumsek, 2011), AW (Sahin et al, 2003; Dikmen et al, 2009; Esenbuga et al, 2009; Kaya, 2011), MK (Esenbuga et al, 2001; 2009; 2011), KY (Olfaz et al, 2005; Sen et al, 2011; Yıldırım et al, unpublished data), KV (Ekiz et al, 2009) and TM (Ekiz et al, 2009) breeds have been conducted under experimental conditions
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