New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

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Effect of sire breed on growth, carcass, and wool

characteristics of lambs born to Merino ewes in
New Zealand

G. H. Scales , A. R. Bray , D. B. Baird , D. O’Connell & T. L. Knight

To cite this article: G. H. Scales , A. R. Bray , D. B. Baird , D. O’Connell & T. L. Knight (2000)
Effect of sire breed on growth, carcass, and wool characteristics of lambs born to Merino
ewes in New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 43:1, 93-100, DOI:
10.1080/00288233.2000.9513412

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00288233.2000.9513412

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New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2000, Vol. 43: 93-100
0028-8233/00/4301-0093 $7.00/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2000
Effect of sire breed on growth, carcass, and wool characteristics of
lambs born to Merino ewes in New Zealand
G. H. SCALES
Te Awa
Private Bag
Rangiora, New Zealand
A. R. BRAY*
D. B. BAIRD
D. O'CONNELL
T. L. KNIGHT
AgResearch
Canterbury Agriculture and Science Centre
P.O. Box 60
Lincoln, New Zealand
Email: braya@agresearch.cri.nz
Abstract Sire breed effects were studied in 1080
lambs born over three years to Merino ewes and 6-
10 sires each of Merino, Poll Dorset, Border
Leicester, Texel, Oxford Down, and Suffolk breeds.
Ewes bearing crossbred lambs required more
assistance at lambing than those with purebred
Merino lambs. Poll Dorset cross lambs grew fastest
and purebred Merinos slowest from tailing until
they were 12 months old (P < 0.05). While purebred
Merinos tended to have less carcass fat throughout
the trial, differences between the other crossbreds
changed with time. Texel and Poll Dorset cross
carcasses generally had larger eye muscle size (P <
0.05) than other sire breeds. Carcasses were
"blockier" for crossbreds, particularly Texel and
Oxford Down, but weights of individual cuts were
similar for all breeds. At 12 months of age, greasy
fleece weights were heaviest (P < 0.05) in Border
Leicester cross lambs (4.4 kg) and least in Suffolk
crosses (3.1 kg). It is concluded that Merino cross
lambs can produce 20-kg carcasses by 9 months of
*Author for correspondence
A99032
Received 21 June 1999; accepted 10 January 2000
93
age under improved pasture conditions. Local sire
breeds were competitive with more recently
imported sire breeds for meat production.
Keywords sheep; sheep breed; lamb meat;
carcass traits; wool production
INTRODUCTION
Texel sheep are well recognised for their ability to
produce progeny with lean carcasses (Wolf & Smith
1983; Kempster et al. 1987), as are Oxford Downs
for their rapid growth (Wolf et al. 1980). Texel and
Oxford Down breeds were imported into New
Zealand in the mid 1980s to provide further sources
of genetic variation in carcass composition.
Crossbreeding trials with Romney and
Coopworth ewes in New Zealand have generally
confirmed expectations from overseas results. Texel
cross lambs have been shown to be lean with large
eye muscle areas (Clarke et al. 1988; Kirton et al.
1995; Cruickshank et al. 1996). Oxford Downs and
their crosses have been generally shown to grow
faster to heavier weights when compared with
longer established terminal sire and longwool
breeds (McMillan et al. 1988; Dobbie et al. 1991;
Newman & Paterson 1991; Wuliji et al. 1995;
Cruickshank et al. 1996).
Dobbie et al. (1991), Newman & Paterson
(1991), and Wuliji et al. (1995) have produced
divergent findings on the relative wool-producing
abilities of Oxford Downs, Texels, Romneys, and
their crosses. There was agreement, however, that
fibre diameter will not be increased in Romney cross
progeny of Oxford Down and Texel sires, that good
wool colour will be maintained, and that wool bulk
will be increased.
In contrast, there is no published information
on the performance of exotic sire breeds relative to
traditional sires when crossed with Merinos in New
Zealand. The commercial use of meat breed sires
over Merinos varies according to prevailing wool
prices but there has been increased use of terminal
sires over Merino ewes in recent years.
94 New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2000, Vol. 43
The aim of this paper is to describe the growth,
carcass conformation, and wool production of
progeny from exotic and local New Zealand sire
breeds crossed with Merino ewes grazed on
ryegrass-clover pastures on the Canterbury plains.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Mating
The experiment was conducted at Templeton
Research Station near Christchurch over a 3-year
period commencing in 1990. Five hundred 5-year-
old medium micron (23 jim) Merino ewes were
purchased in March 1990. They were stratified on
the basis of liveweight and randomly allocated to
sire breeds (Border Leicester, Poll Dorset, and
Merino) for artificial insemination in early April.
There were four sires per sire breed with approx-
imately 40 ewes inseminated per sire (3 breeds x 4
sires x approximately 40 ewes). A further 400 5-
year-old ewes were purchased from the same
property in March 1991. The ewes were allocated
to sire breeds as in 1990, with the addition of two
new sire breeds (Texel and Oxford Down). There
were five sires from each of the Texel and Oxford
Down breeds. A total of 877 ewes were inseminated
in 1991 ({[3 breeds x 4 sires] + [2 breeds x 5 sires]}
x approximately 40 ewes). The 1991 mating scheme
was repeated in 1992 with 766 ewes being
inseminated. Ewes that returned to service after
artificial insemination in 1991 and 1992 (126 and
62, respectively) were naturally mated to three
Suffolk rams in a multiple sire mob for 10 days.
Thus, the ewes mated to Suffolk rams were selected
on a different basis to ewes inseminated by other
sire breeds, and the mating occurred some 17 days
later. Sires were nominated by their respective breed
societies as being representative of the breed. One
sire from each breed (except Suffolk) used in Years
1 and 2 was used again the following year ("link"
sires) to enable performances to be compared across
years. Over the 3 years of the trial, 1346 ewes
lambed with 1578 lambs born.
Management
Ewes and lambs were grazed together on ryegrass
(Lolium perenne)-white clover {Trifolium repens)
pastures except during lambing when each sire
group of artificially inseminated ewes was lambed
separately for 2 weeks. The Suffolk sire group was
separate for 4 weeks. All ewes were drenched with
12.5 ml Ivomec™ 21 days before insemination and
again at tailing in mid September. Lambs were
drenched at weaning (December) and thereafter at
monthly intervals until May, with drenching every
2 months during winter. All anthelmintic drenches
included selenium. Ewe diets were supplemented
with meadow hay during winter. A footrot vaccine
was administered to ewes in March and August of
each year and a vaccine against clostridial diseases
was given in August.
At lambing the incidence of assisted births and
presumed cause of lamb death were recorded by
experienced shepherds. Male lambs were castrated
and both sexes tagged, tailed, and weighed in mid
September. All lambs were weaned in early
December at approximately 14 weeks of age,
although Suffolk cross lambs were about 11.5 weeks
old. Weighing of lambs continued monthly until
winter and thereafter every second month until the
final slaughter in early October at about 12 months
of age. Liveweights were recorded immediately
after removal from pasture.
Slaughter procedure
Lambs were weighed 24 hours before slaughter.
Lambs from each sire group were stratified on the
basis of liveweight and randomly assigned to three
slaughter groups (December, March, and June) in
1990-91, four groups (December, March, June, and
October) in 1991-92, and three groups (March,
June, and October) in 1992-93. All slaughter groups
were balanced for sex and rearing rank. In total,
1080 lambs were slaughtered over the three years
of the trial.
Carcasses were skinned and dressed according
to normal commercial practice and weighed hot
following the removal of kidneys and kidney fat.
Carcasses were electrically stimulated within 30
minutes of slaughter and held above 6°C for 8 hours
followed by -3°C for 10 hours.
Carcass measurements
Leg measurements as described by Palsson (1939)
were made on carcasses while on the cooling floor.
These included the hind leg measurements (F and
T) and width across the gigots (G). Tissue depth
(GR) was also measured on the cooling floor
(Kirton 1989). Carcasses were visually graded into
conformation classes according to the Meat and
Livestock Commission (MLC) grading system
(Kempster et al. 1982) in which "blockiness"
increases from grade P (leggy) through O, R, and
U to the most blocky grade E. Shoulder fat (Si and
Scales et al.—Sire breed effects in Merino cross lambs
S2) and muscle measurement (S3) between the 5th
and 6th rib and fat measurements on the hind leg
(Li and L2) were made as described by Kirton et
al. (1967). Eye muscle width (A), depth (B), and
fat cover (C) measurements were made on the
longissimus dorsi muscle at the 12th rib. An
estimate of eye muscle area was made by A*B as
described by Bass et al. (1982). Thickness of fat
over the rib (J) was measured as described by
Palsson (1939). Carcasses were halved with a band-
saw and cut into untrimmed commercial cuts as
described by DEVCO specifications (DEVCO
1984). In October 1992, commercial cuts were
prepared and trimmed to a maximum of 10 mm fat
by experienced butchers and the trimmed cut and
trimmings were weighed.
Wool quality analysis
Lambs were machine shorn with a standard comb
3 weeks before the October kills (12 months of age).
Greasy wool weights were recorded and 20-g
samples collected and bulked by sires for measure-
ment of wool characteristics. Washing yield was
measured at 16% moisture and fibre diameter
measured using an optical fibre diameter analyser
(OFDA). Loose wool bulk (cm3 g"1) was assessed
using a bulkometer operated at a pressure of
10 g c m 4 . A colorimeter was used to assess clean
scoured colour with X, Y, and Z representing the
red, green, and blue reflectance, respectively.
Yellowness in wool was obtained by subtracting Z
from the Y value.
Data analysis
Lambing performance and carcass grade data were
analysed using X2 tests. Liveweight gains, carcass
data, and wool data (n = 1080) were analysed with
Genstat (Genstat 5 Committee 1993) using an
unbalanced analysis of variance. Only animals for
which there was a full set of data were used in the
analysis. Carcass weight at each slaughter was used
as a covariate for all carcass data, in an unbalanced
analysis of covariance. Carcass fatness measure-
ments and component weights together with wool
production were also adjusted for sex, birth rank,
and rearing rank effects.
RESULTS
As breed x year interactions were minor compared
with breed main effects, data have been pooled over
years and mean values for the three years are
95
presented. Similarly, breed x kill interactions were
minor compared with the breed main effects, so data
for the June slaughter are presented for some carcass
composition parameters. The June date was chosen
for its importance in commercial lamb production.
Lambing performance
Merino ewes mated to Oxford Down sires required
significantly more (P < 0.05) assistance at lambing
(25%) than ewes mated to Poll Dorset (14%),
Border Leicester (18%), and Texel (16%) sires.
Ewes lambing to Merino sires required the least
(5%) assistance (P < 0.05). Lamb mortality from
birth to 10 days (including stillbirths) was highest
for Texel cross lambs (24%), followed by Poll
Dorset and Oxford Down cross lambs (both 19%).
Border Leicester cross lamb mortality (15%) was
significantly lower than the Texel cross lambs
(P < 0.05) but not different from purebred Merinos
(14%). The death rate of Suffolk cross lambs was
lower (10%) but the data are not comparable with
those from other breeds because of the difference
in ewe selection criteria and time of lambing.
Dystocia, the major cause of death in most breed
crosses, was highest (P < 0.05) in Oxford Down
crosses (79%) and least for purebred Merinos
(37%). There were more deaths from starvation and
exposure for purebred Merino (58%) and Texel
cross (51 %) lambs than for Border Leicester (25%)
and Oxford Down (19%) cross lambs (P < 0.05).
The proportion of deaths due to other causes was
small.
Liveweights and liveweight gains
Throughout the trial, purebred Merino lambs were
significantly (P < 0.05) lighter than the crossbred
lambs (Table 1). Differences in preslaughter
liveweight between the various crossbred lambs
were small in the early part of the trial. By October,
Poll Dorset cross lambs were the heaviest (P < 0.05)
of all the crossbreds.
Purebred Merino lambs grew more slowly
(P < 0.01) than their crossbred counterparts in all
seasons (Table 1). Over the 12-month period, daily
liveweight gains were greatest (P < 0.01) for Suffolk
and Poll Dorset cross lambs, with Oxford Down,
Texel, and Border Leicester cross lambs all growing
faster (P < 0.01) than purebred Merino lambs.
Carcass weights and dressing percentage
Carcass weights of lambs slaughtered from
December to October were least for purebred
96 New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2000, Vol. 43

Merino lambs and greatest for Poll Dorset cross
lambs (Table 2). Oxford Down cross carcasses were
consistently heavier than Texel cross carcasses
(P < 0.05) and, except in June, were heavier than
Border Leicester cross carcasses (P < 0.05). By
June, the carcasses of Suffolk cross lambs were the
same weight as the Texel cross carcasses, despite
the 17-day later birth date (Table 2).
Averaged over all slaughters, unadjusted hot
carcass weight expressed as a percentage of
unfasted pre-slaughter liveweight (dressing
percentage) was significantly (P < 0.01) lower in
the purebred Merinos (39%) than the crossbreds
(45%). However, this difference largely disappeared
when adjusted for carcass weight.
Carcass fatness
Carcass GR increased with increasing carcass
weight until June but generally decreased during
the winter despite gains of 0.7-3.5 kg carcass weight
(Table 2). When compared at the same carcass
weight, purebred Merino had similar GR measure-
ments to crossbred carcasses, except in June where
GR was significantly less (P < 0.05) for Merino
carcasses (Table 2). The ranking of crossbred
carcasses for GR varied throughout the year. In
December, Poll Dorset and Border Leicester cross
carcasses had the lowest GR while Suffolk, Texel,
and Oxford Down cross carcasses had the highest
GR (P < 0.05). By October, this situation had
completely reversed (Table 2).
Measurements of fatness at other sites on the
carcass at the June slaughter (Table 3) showed a
similar pattern to the June GR measurements. All
fat measurements were greater in Border Leicester
cross than in Merino purebred carcasses (P < 0.05),
with other sire breeds intermediate.
Muscle size
Merino and Border Leicester cross carcasses had
thinner (P< 0.01) shoulder muscles (S3) than other
sire breeds (Table 3). Width of the longissimus dorsi
muscle (A) was similar for all breeds except Border
Leicesters which were significantly narrower (P <
0.01). Texel and Poll Dorset carcasses had the
greatest (P < 0.05) eye muscle depths (B) with
Merinos the least (P < 0.01). Texel cross carcasses
had significantly (P < 0.01) greater eye muscle size

Table 1 Preslaughter liveweights (kg) and liveweight gain over the whole
year (g day"1) of lambs bom to Merino ewes from different sire breeds.
Liveweight
Liveweight
Sire breed December March June October gain
Merino 22.2 30.2 37.0 38.4 71
Poll Dorset 27.9 37.4 46.9 51.8 102
Border Leicester 26.9 35.0 46.0 46.7 91
Texel 25.9 35.9 42.3 47.2 91
Oxford Down 28.2 36.2 44.6 48.6 94
Suffolk 24.6 34.8 42.3 48.3 100
LSD (P< 0.05) 1.7 1.8 1.7 2.3 4

Table 2 Hot carcass weight (kg), GR (mm), and eye muscle size (AxB, cm2) of lambs bom to Merino ewes from
different sire breeds in December, March, June, and October. GR and eye muscle size were adjusted to the mean
carcass weight over all breeds (December, 11.4 kg; March, 14.7 kg; June, 19.5 kg; October, 22.0 kg).
Hot carcass weight GR Eye muscle size
Sire breed Dec Mar Jun Oct Dec Mar Jun Oct Dec Mar Jun Oct
Merino 8.9 11.5 15.0 15.9 5.2 6.4 9.9 10.2 10.4 12.4 14.1 17.3
Poll Dorset 12.6 16.1 21.6 25.1 4.5 6.6 12.0 11.1 11.9 13.5 15.7 18.2
Border Leicester 11.7 15.0 20.6 21.7 4.8 7.4 14.4 10.6 11.4 13.1 14.6 17.6
Texel 11.4 15.1 19.0 22.4 5.7 6.9 13.2 9.6 12.5 15.5 15.7 19.3
Oxford Down 12.3 15.6 19.6 23.2 5.2 6.8 11.2 9.4 11.0 14.0 15.1 17.1
Suffolk 10.8 14.4 19.0 22.5 6.0 7.3 12.2 9.6 11.7 14.3 15.1 18.0
LSD (P< 0.05) 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.8
Scales et al.—Sire breed effects in Merino cross lambs
(AxB) than other sire breeds for all slaughters
except in June when eye muscle size was the same
as Poll Dorset cross carcasses (Table 2). Purebred
Merino and Border Leicester cross carcasses tended
to have smaller eye muscles than the other
crossbreds, although the differences were not
significant at every slaughter.
Carcass shape
Purebred Merino and Border Leicester cross
carcasses had longer hindlegs (F) at the June
slaughter than other sire breeds (P < 0.05) (Table
4). The length of the tibia and tarsus (T) was shortest
for Poll Dorset cross carcasses (P < 0.05), with
minor differences between the other sire breeds.
Oxford Down, Texel, and Border Leicester cross
carcasses were significantly (P < 0.05) wider across
the gigots (G) than the other three sire breeds.
Significantly more Texel cross carcasses graded E
than all other breeds except Oxford Downs. Both
these breeds had more carcasses represented in the
blockier U and E grades than either the Poll Dorset
97
or Suffolk cross carcasses {P < 0.05). No Merino
or Border Leicester carcasses fell into the E grade
in June. The majority (91.2%) of purebred Merino
carcasses fell into the more leggy O and P grades.
Commercial cuts
When compared at the same carcass weight and
before trimming, Border Leicester, Texel, and
Oxford Down cross carcasses had heavier (P < 0.05)
shoulder cuts than Suffolk, Merino, or Poll Dorset
cross carcasses (Table 5). Poll Dorset cross
carcasses had heaviest leg cuts and Border Leicester
crosses the lightest (P < 0.05). There were no
significant sire breed effects on the weights of other
cuts.
In October 1992, commercial cuts were trimmed
to a maximum of 10 mm fat cover. When adjusted
to the mean carcass weight, trimmed and boned hind
legs from Merino and Border Leicester cross
carcasses yielded less meat (P < 0.05) than other
sire breeds (23.3% versus 24.3% of the carcass,
respectively). Total trimmed meat from the

Table 3 Fat thickness (mm) and muscle size (mm) of the shoulder, loin, and leg in June of lambs
born to Merino ewes from different sire breeds. Values are adjusted to the mean carcass weight of
19.5 kg.
Fat t hickness Muscle size
Shoulder Loin Leg Shoulder Loin
Sire breed Si s2 C J Li L2 S3 A B
Merino 2.4 6.6 4.4 9.7 4.5 9.7 22.3 56.4 24.8
Poll Dorset 2.5 7.6 5.5 11.1 6.5 10.5 24.4 55.8 28.1
Border Leicester 3.4 9.4 6.4 13.0 6.9 12.2 22.3 54.2 26.9
Texel 3.0 8.3 5.4 10.9 5.5 12.1 25.3 56.1 27.9
Oxford Down 3.0 8.2 5.2 10.9 5.9 12.2 24.9 55.9 26.9
Suffolk 3.3 8.6 5.4 11.5 5.8 11.6 24.2 56.7 26.6
LSD (P< 0.05) 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.8 0.5 0.8 0.7 1.0 0.8

Table 4 Hind leg measurements (F, T, and G) and MLC grade in June of lambs born to Merino
ewes from different sire breeds. Values are adjusted to the mean carcass weight of 19.5 kg. P,
"leggy" grade; E, "blocky" grade.
Hind leg (mm) MLC Grade (%)
Sire breed F T G P O R U E
Merino 297 237 194 24.6 66.6 8.8 0.0 0.0
Poll Dorset 280 228 194 0.0 44.5 26.5 26.1 2.9
Border Leicester 288 234 201 1.5 33.8 55.9 8.8 0.0
Texel 273 233 199 0.0 2.9 31.4 45.7 20.0
Oxford Down 277 234 200 0.0 0.0 40.0 54.3 5.7
Suffolk 281 240 196 0.0 12.2 56.0 29.5 2.3
LSD (P< 0.05) 4 3 2
98 New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2000, Vol. 43
shoulder, the leg, and the loin as a "French" rack
and bone-in loin was significantly higher (P < 0.05)
in Texel cross carcasses (58.0%) than other sire
breeds (55.4-56.9%). Total trimmed fat from
purebred Merino carcasses (1.88 kg) was signi-
ficantly lower (P< 0.05) than Poll Dorset (2.34 kg),
Suffolk (2.14 kg), Border Leicester (2.08 kg), and
Oxford Down cross carcasses (2.06 kg), but was
similar to Texel cross carcasses (1.94 kg). GR
measurement was a good indicator of total trimmed
fat percentage (r2 = 0.84).
Wool production
At 12 months of age, greasy fleece weight was
highest (P < 0.05) in Border Leicester cross lambs
with Suffolk crosses having the lowest fleece
weights (Table 6). Scoured yield was lower in Poll
Dorset, Suffolk, and Oxford Down crosses than the
other breeds (P < 0.05). Staple length was longest
in Border Leicester cross lambs and least in Merino
and Suffolk cross lambs (P < 0.05). Loose wool
bulk was lowest for Merino and Border Leicester
cross lambs (P < 0.01). Fibre diameter was lowest
(P < 0.01) in Merino lambs. Purebred Merino wool
was less yellow (P < 0.01) than the other breeds
(Table 6).
DISCUSSION
This trial has demonstrated that the carcass weight
of lambs from Merino ewes was substantially
increased by all terminal sire breeds. Given
adequate nutrition, spring-born crossbred progeny
can reach carcass weights of 20 kg before winter.
Poll Dorset and Suffolk cross lambs grew at a faster
rate than progeny of Oxford Down, Border
Leicester, and Texel sires. While these results are
at variance with overseas data (Wolf et al. 1980;
Kempster et al. 1987), they are consistent with the
observations of other New Zealand workers
(McMillan et al. 1988; Cruickshank et al. 1996).
The high levels of assistance required at lambing
by Merino ewes mated to all sire breeds were
unexpected. The 5% of assisted births in purebred
Merinos is higher than normally encountered under
commercial conditions and the level in Oxford
Downs crosses (25%) was exceptionally high. Ewes
were of medium frame, but in 2-3-ha paddocks they
received less exercise than their extensively grazed
commercial counterparts. High lamb mortality
recorded in Texel cross lambs (24%) was also
unexpected as Texel lambs are reputed to be hardy
(Allison et al. 1989).

Table 5 The weight of untrimmed commercial cuts (kg) in June of lambs born to Merino ewes
from different sire breeds. Values are adjusted to the mean carcass weight of 19.5 kg.
Sire breed Shoulder Leg Loin Rack -lap Neck Offcuts
Merino 6.04 5.99 9.79 .87 . .65 0.49 0.31
Poll Dorset 6.02 6.11 1.81 .92 . .64 0.46 0.29
Border Leicester 6.12 5.83 3.76 .92 . .78 0.52 0.29
Texel 6.13 5.92 2.79 .81 . .79 0.54 0.30
Oxford Down 6.11 5.97 7.81 .87 . .74 0.49 0.31
Suffolk 5.95 5.98 8.85 .92 . .65 0.52 0.33
LSD (P< 0.05) 0.14 0.11 111 0.11 106 0.08 0.02

Table 6 Greasy fleece weight and wool quality characteristics at 12 months of age of lambs born
to Merino ewes from different sire breeds.
Greasy Staple Fibre Loose
fleece Yield length diameter wool bulk Yellowness
Sire breed (kg) (%) (mm) (urn) (cm-V) (Y-Z)
Merino 3.9 71.3 112 19.5 28.3 0.7
Poll Dorset 3.6 68.1 122 25.7 32.5 2.0
Border Leicester 4.4 73.2 162 27.6 27.0 2.0
Texel 3.9 71.5 141 26.4 31.2 2.6
Oxford Down 3.8 67.6 136 25.2 31.4 2.2
Suffolk 3.1 67.2 113 24.6 33.8 2.0
LSD (P< 0.05) 0.2 3.4 8 1.2 1.4 1.0
Scales et al.—Sire breed effects in Merino cross lambs
Although purebred Merino lambs were com-
parable with crossbred lambs in weight-adjusted
GR, they were significantly lighter at slaughter thus
introducing errors associated with extrapolations
based on weight. Attempts to compare fatness at
the same weight, but at different dates, may also
bias comparisons, as season has been shown to
influence fatness in lambs of similar weights (Bray
et al. 1990). Thus, it is difficult to dispute the
findings of Kirton et al. (1974), Meyer & Kirton
(1984), and Sakul et al. (1993) that Merinos and
their crosses tend to be fatter than other breeds when
adjusted for carcass weight. The reported leanness
of the Texel and its crosses (Wolf et al. 1980; Clarke
etal. 1988;McEwanetal. 1988; Cruickshank et al.
1996) was not confirmed in the first three slaughter
dates of the present study. However, there was a
non-significant increase in leanness with maturity
in that GR, Si, S2, C, L|, and total trimmed fat
weight were lower in Texel carcasses at 12 months
of age than at the previous three slaughter dates. In
June, Border Leicester cross lambs were fatter at
the GR site than other sire breeds, which is
consistent with the results of Clarke et al. (1988).
The large eye muscle measurements in the
carcases of Texel cross lambs agree with those of
Wolf et al. (1980), Clarke et al. (1988), and
Cruickshank et al. (1996). In spite of more Texel
cross lambs being included in the more blocky E
grade, carcases did not differ from other breeds in
the proportion of trimmed or untrimmed com-
mercial cuts. Similarly, the longer leg measurements
(F) recorded for Merino and Border Leicester cross
lambs, also recorded by Kirton et al. (1974), had
little effect on the weights of commercial cuts.
The superiority of Border Leicester cross lambs
for greasy wool production at 12 months of age is
in agreement with Kleemann et al. (1983), who also
found that staples from Border Leicester cross
lambs were longer and fibres thicker than Poll
Dorset crosses or purebred Merinos. Suffolk cross
lambs had the lowest wool weights but, as with Poll
Dorsets, wool was of higher bulk. Both Wuliji et
al. (1990) and Dobbie et al. (1991) recorded Texel
and Texel cross wool as being more bulky than
Romney wool, which is consistent with Texel and
Oxford Down cross lambs having higher loose bulk
than either the Merinos or Border Leicester crosses.
Recent studies have identified genetic variation
in the efficiency with which food is converted into
meat and wool (Greef et al. 1995; Lee et al. 1995).
Consideration must be given to production
efficiency and the relative economic value of their
99
products, in addition to per head production data
such as given here, when assessing the value of the
terminal sire breeds to Merino farmers. It should
be noted that the sires used in this study were
nominated by their respective breed societies and
are not necessarily representative of the whole
genotype.
Despite the disadvantages of needing greater
assistance at lambing and higher lamb mortality, it
is concluded that there are significant advantages
for lamb production of using a terminal sire over
Merino ewes. Crossbred lambs, in particular Poll
Dorset cross lambs, had faster growth rates and
higher carcass weights than purebred Merino lambs.
While purebred Merino carcasses tended to have
less carcass fat than crossbreds, Texel and Poll
Dorset cross carcasses had greater eye muscle size.
Crossbred carcasses, especially Texel and Oxford
Down, were graded as more "blocky", but there was
little difference between breeds in the weight of
commercial cuts. Wool production parameters
differed between Merino and crossbred lambs,
which may be important to farmers when choosing
a terminal sire breed.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study was undertaken by MAFTechnology. We
acknowledge the Agricultural and Marketing Research
and Development Trust (AGMARDT) for funding
assistance for the preparation of this paper and the
Primary Producers Co-operative Society Ltd (PPCS) and
former Fortex Group for co-operation with the slaughter
and recording of carcass data; J. N. Clarke and A. H.
Kirton, AgResearch, Ruakura for helpful advice; the staff
atTempleton Research Station, in particular M. C. Smith,
R. Bruce, P. Thomson, and P. Barnes, for assistance with
the recording of data; and S. M. Francis for assistance
with completing the manuscript. Special thanks are due
to the Merino, Border Leicester, Poll Dorset, and Suffolk
Breed Societies for their co-operation and supply of rams
and semen and to Sheepac for the supply of Oxford Down
and Texel semen.
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