Abstract:

Bamei lamb is a locally newly developed breed for meat production in Inner Mongolia, but it slaughter
performance and carcass characteristics have never been defined yet. In this study, Bamei lamb at 4, 6, 8 months of
age were slaughtered and its slaughter performance and carcass quality were compared with those of Small tailed
sheep and Sunit lamb of the same age. The results showed that Bamei lamb at all ages analyzed had bigger loin
eye area than the other two breeds of the same ages (P ＜ 0.05). Dressing percentage, lean meat yield and back
meat thickness of Bamei lamb at 6 months and 8 months of age were significantly higher than those of Small tailed
sheep and Sunit lamb of the same age (P ＜ 0.05). Dressing percentage, lean meat yield, loin eye area and back
meat thickness of Bamei lamb at 4 months of age were significantly lower or smaller than those at 6 months of age
(P ＜ 0.01), but which were smaller or lower than those at 8 months of age(P ＜ 0.05). In summary, Bamei lamb
is superior to Small tailed sheep and Sunit lamb for meat production. Based on the data we obtained, the proper
slaughter age for Bamei lamb is between 6 months and 8 months.

Key words: Bamei lamb, slaughter performance, carcass characteristics