A Comparison of the Body Development and Slaughter Value of Polish Wrzosówka Sheep and Their F2 Crossbreeds with Berrichon du Cher Sheep

Abstract

Background. The study compared the body development and slaughter traits of male and female Polish Wrzosówka lambs and their F2 crossbreeds with Berrichon du Cher rams. Material and methods. The study on male and female Polish Wrzosówka lambs and their F2 crossbreeds with Berrichon du Cher rams was conducted at Prof. Adam Skoczylas Research Farm in Żelazna, Poland between 2012 and 2014. The body development of all the lambs was assessed, but only the rams were slaughtered to assess their carcass quality. The carcasses were assessed according to the EUROP grid. The left half-carcasses were divided into cuts. Results. The F2 crossbreeds were characterised by higher body weights and daily gains. Their carcasses contained less fat, had better fat consistency and higher slaughter value, were heavier and contained more valuable cuts than the Polish Wrzosówka sheep. Conclusion. The findings of the research on the development of a new synthetic line of sheep based on the Polish Wrzosówka sheep for the Central Poland market give grounds to initiate the procedure to register the new synthetic line.