THE EFFECT OF CROSSING ROMANIAN SHEEP BREEDS WITH RAMS OF MEAT BREEDS OVER THE SPECIFIC INDICATORS OF MEAT PRODUCTION

C. Pascal, I. Nechifor

Abstract
   The purpose of the research was to investigate new solutions for the production of increased sheep meat quantities. The opportunity to carry out these surveys is because Romania has a very good position among the countries with large herds of sheep and that at European Union level requirements for sheep meat are not assured. In order to achieve the objectives set out above we included in the scheme for the production of the biological material for recovery for the main breeds in Romania, namely the Merinos de Palas and Tigaie, at which we add the Bluefaced Leicester and Suffolk. Biological material intended for fattening was a hybrid produced from crossing trirasial females mixed-race F1 (Bluefaced Leiceste x races) with Suffolk rams. Weaning lambs was made at the age of 85 days, and to remove the influence of the age was taken into account that differences in this parameter to be less than 25 days. The technology was applied to fattening of intensive type, and had a total duration of 90 days. Intensity analysis of fattening each batch was weighed at the beginning of each phase, weaning, fattening and started at the end of fattening, and to compare the results, control groups were made. In the case of consignments composed by using the breed of Merinos de Palas, the weight of the control group was lower by 5.2% as compared to the performance by the group composed of hybrid terminals, from which the final live weight was 40 kg. For the following experimental formats by using the Tigaie, the control batch though has the onset of fattening a bodyweight with 8.64 percent compared with the batch composed of trirasial hybrids, final live weight was more than 20% higher in the experimental batch. The results obtained at the fattening, and the quality of the carcasses being much better at experimental batches justifies the practicing of this type of crossing.

Key words: sheep, meat, Tigaie, Romanian breeds, industrial cross