THE PRODUCTION AND ECONOMIC PARAMETERS OF OPERATING A LAMB FEEDLOT IN BARBADOS - A PILOT PROJECT

Gerry Thomas, Gerald Proverbs and Terence Haynes

No 257079, 31st Annual Meeting, July 10-14, 1995, Dover, Barbados from Caribbean Food Crops Society

Abstract: One hundred and twenty weaned Barbados Blackbelly lambs were reared in confinement in batches of 20 between October 1993 and April 1995. They were fed a by-product ration which consisted of poultry litter, wheat middlings, rice bran, molasses and a mineral/ vitamin mix. Data collected were used to measure parameters such as average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADI), feed efficiency (FE); carcass measurements were also evaluated. The liveweight for each animal was recorded immediately before slaughter and the head, skin, feet, paunch, heart and liver were also weighed. The carcass was divided into fore and hindsaddles at the 12th and 13th rib. ADG, ADI and FE were 0.094, 1.2 and 12.9 kg respectively. Rams were significantly heavier (P < 0.001) at slaughter than ewes and the skin and paunch of rams were also significantly heavier (P < 0.001 ). However there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in weight of heads and livers of rams and ewes. Cost per unit gain was US$1.67. ADG for ram and ewe lambs was 100 and 87 g respectively. Average fasted slaughter and carcass weights were 30.8 ± 3.94 and 15.4 ± 2.2 kg respectively with a dressing out of 50%. Fasted weight was approximately 92% of fresh liveweight. There was an additional 7% shrinkage between hot and cold carcass weight and fore and hindsaddles were 51 and 43% of chilled carcass weight respectively. Legs, shoulders and racks represented 60,56 and 23% of hind and foresaddles respectively. The head, skin, and paunch were 5, 13, and 24.6% of fasted liveweight while the liver was 9.6% of chilled carcass weight.

Keywords: Livestock Production/Industries; Productivity Analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 10
Date: 1995-07-10
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:cfcs95:257079

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.257079

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