Effect of Weaning Age on Growth and Carcass Quality of Crossbred Lambs

This project conducted on a partner's sheep farm aimed to assess the impact of weaning age on the daily gain and carcass quality of crossbred Improved Jezersko-Solčava x Texel (JSRT) lambs. The study involved two groups of lambs: one weaned at 50 days (early weaned) and the other at 75 days (late weaned). Both groups were fed a commercial concentrate and hay until slaughter at around 36 kg. Results showed that early-weaned lambs had a higher daily gain and reached slaughter weight earlier than late-weaned lambs. Despite this, weaning age did not affect carcass characteristics such as cold weight, dressing percentage, pH, fatness score, and rib-eye muscle area. However, early-weaned lambs had lower EUROP carcass conformation scores compared to late-weaned lambs. The study concluded that weaning lambs at 50 days is sufficient for stress-free weaning without compromising growth or carcass quality. The practice of early weaning and fattening is recommended for experienced sheep farmers as it can shorten the breeding cycle of ewes and increase flock productivity by enhancing lambing frequency.