The effect of castration age on the productivity of meat from lamb hogs

Abstract

This article contains information about influence of castration of lamb hogs at the age of 4, 5 and 6 months with Burdizzo forceps on some parameters of meat productivity. This study included 200 lamb hogs divided into 4 groups. The following criteria were studied: Pre-slaughter weight, carcase weight and fatness category of animals, which were monitored by periodical weighting at the age of 4 months before castration, and subsequently at 8, 11 and 14 months prior to control slaughter. At weighting before the slaughter at the age of 14 months animals which were castrated at the aged of 5 and 6 months had the best meat productivity – 45.1 ± 0.18 and 46 ± 0.16 kg, which, in percentage ratio in comparison to the first weighting increased by 36.4 and 34.6%, in comparison to the second weighting by 15.0 and 16.0%, and in comparison to the third weighting by 8.3 and 9.6%. It appeared that upon the attainment of the age of 11 and 14 months, lamb hogs castrated at the age of 6 months have better meat productivity than lamb hogs castrated at the age of 4 and 5 months or uncastrated animals. Key words: Castration, live weight, Narcass weight, Burdizzo forceps, lamb hogs.