Carcass composition comparison of male and female red deer and hybrids with Père David's deer

Abstract

The carcass composition of male and female red deer and 1/4 Père David's deer hybrids were compared. Males had significantly more total carcass muscle and total carcass bone (P < 0.01), but significantly less total carcass fat and intramuscular fat in the longissimus dorsi (P < 0.01) than females when compared at the regressed mean hot carcass weight of 72.9 kg (19–20 months of age). Genotype differences were significant for muscle distribution with hybrids having relatively more muscle in the hind leg primal cut compared with red deer. Gender differences in muscle, bone, and fat tissue distribution were also evident with males having relatively more fat and bone in the neck and shoulder primal cuts. Père David's deer hybrids have significantly different muscle tissue distribution than red deer, which may be indicative of a major gene effect similar to double‐muscling observed in cattle and callipyge in sheep.