Changes in body composition relative to weight and maturity of Australian Dorset Horn rams and wethers. 2. Individual muscles and muscle groups

Abstract

ABSTRACTMaturity patterns have been established for 93 individual carcass muscles and nine standard muscle groups using dissection data from 20 Dorset Horn rams and 20 Dorset Horn wethers. A very high proportion, 81/93, of the individual muscles and all the muscle groups had maturity patterns which were not different for the rams and wethers.Maturity patterns of some muscle groups varied from those previously demonstrated in Merino rams, in that the abdominal wall group was later maturing and the neck to forelimb and neck and thorax groups were earlier maturing in the Dorset Horns.Comparison of the distribution of muscle weight of the Dorset Horn rams and wethers at the mean total muscle weight resulted in different conclusions to comparison at the mean proportion of maturity. It is concluded that comparisons of muscle weight distribution of entire and castrated male sheep, in which mature muscle weight varies, will be most meaningful if carried out at the same proportion of maturity, since comparisons at the same weight of total muscle will embrace components of difference due to stage of maturity.