Border Leicester and Finnsheep Crosses. III. Market Lamb Production from Crossbred Ewes1

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Abstract
Data on postweaning growth and carcass merit of 298 Suffolk-sired lambs from Border Leicester (BL)-sired and Finnsheep (Finn)-sired ewes were collected at the Roman L. Hruska US Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska, in 1974, 1975 and 1976 (Phase II) as part of a ewe productivity evaluation. Lambs from BL- and Finn-sired ewes did not differ significantly in final weight, postweaning daily gain or 22-week weight when data were adjusted for the difference in proportion of twin lambs. Lambs from BL-sired ewes had .1 cm more rib fat, .2 cm thicker body wall and higher carcass quality and conformation grades but .6% less kidney fat and .4% less boneless cuts than lambs from Finn-sired ewes. The two types of lambs had similar slaughter and carcass weights, dressing percentages, leg conformation and fat color scores, yield grades, leg lengths and estimated boneless cut weights and trimmed cut yields and weights. BL-sired ewes were equal to Finn-sired ewes in fertility at 1, 2 and 3 years of age, but produced .4 fewer lambs per ewe lambing (1.39 vs 1.78) and weaned .3 fewer lambs at 10 weeks per ewe lambing (.93 vs 1.22). Unadjusted for the difference in twinning rate, weight of lambs from the BL-sired ewes was about 1 kg higher at 22 weeks and 1.5 kg higher at age-constant slaughter. Carcasses from BL-sired ewes had .1 cm more external fat and .5% less internal fat, slightly better quality grades but poorer yield grades and .4% lower estimated boneless yields. Overall, BL-cross ewes were 2% heavier but produced 22% fewer lambs at birth than did Finn-cross ewes, 24% fewer at 10-week weaning and about 20% less total weight of live lamb or of boneless cuts at age-constant slaughter per ewe lambing. However, BL-sired ewes produced .3 kg more clean wool of 1.7 cm longer staple and 2.6 /um greater fiber diameter. Copyright © 1981. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1981 by American Society of Animal Science.

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