Some Effects of Stilbestrol and Related Hormones on Feedlot Performance and Carcass Merit of Fed Lambs

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Abstract
The addition of 0.5 mg. stilbestrol per pound of ration appeared to cause about a 15% improvement in gains and feed efficiency of ewe and wether lambs fattened in dry lot during the fall and winter. The same treatment had little effect, however, on lambs fed individually during the hot summer months. The stilbestrol fed lambs were more difficult to pelt, yielded 1 to 1.6 percentage units less, and 26% of the carcasses in Experiment 1 were classed as yearlings. Lambs implanted with 250 mg. progesterone and 10 mg. estradiol gained 44% faster on 29% less feed than the control lambs. These lambs were more difficult to pelt than stilbestrol fed lambs, yielded 1.5 percentage units less, and 59% of the carcasses were classed as yearlings. Side effects, such as riding, dribbling urine and urinary calculi were observed on both hormone treatments, and there was severe shedding among the implanted lambs. Chemical analysis and cooking and organoleptic tests of cuts from paired lambs fed during the summer did not reveal any striking differences as the result of including 0.5 mg. stilbestrol per pound of ration.

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