@conference {40411,
	title = {Testis size and endocrine parameters in rams as predictors of aseasonality in their daughters},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {52},
	year = {1992},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {195-198},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	abstract = {Overseas data suggest that feeding low energy/high protein diets  can increase carcass weight (and muscle mass) while reducing fat  content. The potential application of this technique to maximise the  returns from overfat lambs in New Zealand was studied. One hundred and  sixty ewe lambs, assessed as being overfat, were allocated on a  liveweight basis to one of seven treatment groups. These comprised an  initial slaughter group, 2 groups offered pasture at approximately  maintenance allowance, 2 groups offered pasture at approximately half  maintenance plus 200g/d of a high protein pellet and 2 groups held on a  bare paddock and offered ad lib straw plus 200g/d of a high  protein pellet. One group from each treatment was slaughtered after 3  weeks and the second after 5 weeks of controlled feeding. Liveweight  change, carcass weight and carcass fatness were monitored.   All groups lost liveweight (88-195 g/d) and estimated carcass weight  (37-89g/d) over the experiment. Corrected to a common carcass weight of  15.25kg decreased GR from 11.6mm for the initial slaughter group to 9.7  and 9.2mm after 3 and 5 weeks, respectively of maintenance pasture  feeding. Corresponding GR{\textquoteright}s of the supplemented groups were 9.3mm (both  groups) after 3 weeks and 8.1 and 7.5mm after 5 weeks for straw and  pasture based diets respectively.   Supplementation with a high protein diet was effective in reducing  carcass GR measurement after 3 weeks of supplementation with a further  decrease after 5 weeks. However, unsupplemented lambs also showed a  decrease in GR after 3 weeks, which was not significantly different from  supplemented lambs. The length of feeding required to effect a change  negated the advantage of decreased GR, although economic returns could  be achieved if the pellets were more readily accepted.  },
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Xu ZZ and McDonald MF and McCutcheon SN and Blair HT}
}
