Suffolk lambs grow faster than Texel lambs when parasite infection is minimised. And the interaction between breed and level of parasite challenge shows that the breed differences in lamb growth depend on level of parasite challenge.
Grazing lambs on chicory produces heavier carcases with a better killing out percentage. Female lambs also demonstrated increased loin juiciness.
High quality maize silage is an ideal forage for finishing lambs indoors, achieving higher intake characteristics and increasing daily live weight gain by up to 50g/d compared to lambs offered medium-quality grass silage.
Dietary vitamin E level did not affect lamb performance, but those fed grass silage grew more slowly and had a higher feed conversion ratio than those fed concentrates.
Computer tomography and ultrasonic measurements provide an effective means of selecting for improved carcass composition.
There is seasonal variation in the concentration of a number of fatty acids in lamb produced under a range of commercial production systems.
Genetic selection for performance and carcass quality in the UK beef cattle and sheep industries has resulted in a rate of return on investment of 32%.
Excess iodine in the diet of pregnant ewes reduces the ability of lambs to absorb antibodies from colostrum, potentially increasing the risk of disease.
Nutrient restriction in late pregnancy improves the ability of lambs to convert feed into growth, but due to the reduced milk production of the ewe lamb liveweight is lower throughout the finishing period.
Using crossbred ewes will increase lamb output by 20% and have no negative effects on ewe longevity.
