CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS AND TISSUE COMPOSITION OF SHEEP KEPT IN MASSAI GRASS PASTURE AND SUBJECTED TO INTERMITTENT SUPPLEMENTATION
concentrated supplementation; sheep meat; massai grass; supplementation frequency.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of intermittent supplementation on carcass characteristics, commercial cuts and leg tissue composition of crossbred Santa Inês sheep kept on continuous grazing of Panicum maximum (Megathyrsus maximus) cv. Massa. We used 18 lambs with average starting body weight of 17.5 kg ± 3 kg and 135 days ± 18 days of age, distributed in a completely randomized design and in three treatments, consisting of the following supplementation frequencies: every day (ED), alternate days (AD) and every two days (ETD), with the supplement offered on average equivalent to 1% of body weight. After 120 days of experiment, the animals were slaughtered and their carcasses evaluated, where effects of supplementation frequency were found, with greater HCW(8,72kg e 9,11kg), CCW(8,72kg e 9,11kg), EBW (17,60kg e 18,08kg), weights of meat cuts and tissue composition with greater deposition and muscles in the carcass for animals supplemented ED and AD respectively. In this way, the frequency of supplementation every day and on alternate days obtained better quantitative characteristics of the carcass. For management purposes, supplementation on alternate days can be adopted with the aim of reducing labor costs.