This study aimed to characterize carcass traits, organ weights, reproductive organ measurements, meat chemical composition, and gastrointestinal tract characteristics in Barki (BAR), Rahmani (RAH), and their crossbred BAR × RAH sheep. A total of 30 adult sheep, consisting of 10 animals from each breed group, (5 males and 5 females per group), aged approximately 36.5 ± 0.75 months, were randomly selected from the flock raised under uniform management systems in northern Egypt. The animals were subjected to comprehensive phenotypic evaluation following slaughter. The crossbred BAR × RAH animals were found to be superior for all weight-related traits since they had the highest mean values for cold carcass weight (30.12 ± 2.43 kg), final live body weight (59.46 ± 1.28 kg), slaughter weight (58.27 ± 2.19 kg), as well as trimmed meat weight (23.70 ± 1.35 kg), all of which were significantly higher than those of both purebred breeds (p < 0.001). BAR breed had the lowest values in the weight-related traits but the most favorable ratio of lean-to-fat tissue (4.12 ± 0.92) and the highest content of ash in the meat (1.00 ± 0.05%). Pronounced breed differences were observed in the measurements of the reproductive organs. Chemical analysis of the meat revealed that the meat of the crossbred animals contained the highest amount of moisture (74.66 ± 1.99%) and crude protein (21.65 ± 0.57%). The results of the GI tract revealed that the crossbred animals had the longest intestines (41.17 ± 2.18 m). The pH of the animals also showed breed-specific characteristics. Crossbreeding BAR and RAH improved growth, carcass and reproductive traits, supporting its use in breeding programs.
Saleh et al. (Tue,) studied this question.