Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Alexandru Gabriel VARTIC, Corneliu Ion NEACSU, Camelia Zoia ZAMFIR, Ana ENCIU, Oana Corina PRESA (DORDESCU), Petru Gabriel VICOVAN, Constantin PASCAL
This study evaluates the performance of F1 hybrids obtained by crossbreeding Rouge de L’Ouest x Prolific Palas and Texel x Prolific Palas breeds under controlled fattening conditions, compared to the purebred Prolific Palas sheep. The results demonstrate the clear superiority of the F1 hybrids in several key performance indicators: enhanced daily weight gain, improved feed conversion efficiency, higher slaughter yield, and a favorable carcass tissue composition characterized by increased meat content and reduced bone proportion. Additionally, the F1 hybrids showed a significant advantage in the thigh muscle index, recording values 14.5-17.3% higher than those of the Prolific Palas breed. The findings align with the diversity of high-performance meat breeds and hybrids present within the European Union, including 42 breeds and 7 hybrids in the United Kingdom, as well as numerous specialized breeds in countries such as Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. These results underscore the potential of hybrid breeding strategies to enhance meat production efficiency and carcass quality in sheep farming systems.
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