Características de carcaças de ovinos alimentados com plantas forrageiras suculentas terminados em confinamento.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the characterization of the carcass generated by sheep fed succulent forage plants, rich in water from the Brazilian semi-arid region. 30 sheep were used, non-castrated and without defined racial pattern (SPRD), with an average age of 3 months and initial weight of 21.19 ± 0.16 kg, allocated in individual stalls, equipped with a feeder, saltshaker and drinking fountain. The treatments consisted of three diets, containing a base diet, composed of tifton-85 hay (Cynodon dactylon) and concentrate (ground corn, soybean meal and mineral salt), where: 1-Hay treatment (control), containing only the basic diet; 2 - Hay + palm reatment, composed of the basic diet plus forage palm; and 3 - Hay + watermelon treatment composed of the basic diet plus forage watermelon where there was partial inclusion of forage palm and forage watermelon in the diet. The statistical design was completely randomized, with 10 animals per treatment (30 experimental units). The experimental period was 59 days: 10 days for adaptation and 49 days for data collection, to determine morphometry, weight and yield of the carcass, commercial cuts and non-carcass components. All averages were compared using the Tukey test at 5% probability using SAS software (version 9.2). Average weights of 29.7, 31.5, 32.9 kg were obtained for diets containing Tifton hay, hay with palm and hay with watermelon, respectively. The general average was 31.3 ± 1.3 kg. There was no significance for the leg compactness index, conformation, loin eye area (AOL), for the appropriate hay, palm + hay and watermelon + hay treatments, with averages of 0.45, 0.46 and 0.48, followed by 2.80, 3.15 and 3.27 for finishing, for AOL 18, 87 and 21.77. When the (empty TGI) was emptied, a difference was observed in the weight of the animals fed with (Palm + hay), not statistically differing from those fed with (Watermelon + Hay), however, its value was similar to animals fed only on (Hay). There was no difference between the means, for the biometric measurements of external length, width and perimeter of the rump, width and depth of the chest and leg length for the appropriate treatments. There was a difference in the average weight of the left carcass of the sheep fed with (Watermelon + Hay), whose average values ranged from 6.34 to 7.44. The weight of the cut of the palette showed difference, where the sheep fed with (Watermelon + hay), obtained higher averages (1.39), when compared to the averages of the other treatments 1.33 and 1.16 for (Palm + Hay), (Hay) respectively. The partial inclusion of forage palm cv. Mexican Elephant Ear in the bulky portion, with total proportion roughage: 49:51 concentrate; and forage watermelon in the roughage portion, with a total roughage: concentrate ratio of 46:54, are able to provide carcasses with desirable attributes, optimum muscle and fat content, in addition to providing good yields, good thickness of body fat, a fundamental characteristic in reducing losses caused by cooling.