Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
The sheep are a species of domestic animals with great biological, technical and
economical flexibilities, concretized in their capacity to use the poor fodder resources and
rough areas, the possibility to integrate them in various forms and systems of breeding,
contributing to the series of animal products (meat, milk, wool, skins), and the
development of exploitations can be made without high investments.
In the last years, the interest of breeders for the sheep species increased, and also
the preferences of the consumers for the sheep meat and for the dairy products made of
sheep milk, this being due both to the food traditions, of the human deficit of animal
protein in the world, and to the special nutritive features of these products.
The meat production is the main objective in many geographical areas of the world.
The requirements of the living level, in the developed countries or for the social-economic
development, in Arab countries, determined the increase of the world production of sheep
meat, the interest to increase this production being developed continuously.
The subject of the Doctor’s thesis, „ RESEARCHES REGARDING THE
FATTENING IN SEMI-INTENSIVE SYSTEM OF THE HALF-BREEDS OBTAINED
THROUGH THE INDUSTRIAL CROSSBREEDING OF THE MERINOS OF PALAS
WITH THE MEAT BREEDS OF TEXEL, SUFFOLK AND BLACKHEAD OF
TELEORMAN” was chosen in 2008, in the context of the increase of the interest for
improving the sheep meat production meat in Romania .
The purpose of this paperwork is to make comparative researches regarding the
increase of the meat production, correcting the defects of the carcass, the increase of
slaughtering output etc, through the simple industrial crossbreeding between the sheep of
Merinos breed and the meat breeds of Texel, Suffolk and Blackhead of Teleorman and the
fattening of the F1crossbreds in semi-intensive system. It was aimed the testing of the
capacity to combine the local sheep breeds through crossbreeding with meat breeds which
were imported from European Union countries, to improve the meat production,
establishing a strategy of improving the meat production proportionally to the breeding
area, the local sheep breed and the used meat bread by crossbreeding, which ensure the
improvement of the carcasses’ quality according to the European Union standard, and also
to know the possibilities to valuate the meat production of the lambs that were obtained
from crossbreeding, according to the standards and regulations of the European Union.
*******
The Doctor’s thesis is presented on a number of 202 pages, where 88 tables, 15
graphs, 18 anneses (22 figures), 14 pages of bibliography are included, being structured in
two parts, the first being of bibliographical study and the latter consisting of studies and
own contributions. Also, at the paperwork the following materials are attached: summary
in Romanian language – 13 pages, summary in English language – 13 pages, Contents in
Romanian language, Contents in English language, List of graphic elements, List of tables,
List of abbreviations.
Part I –Bibliographic study, presented on 54 pages and it is 26,73% of the
paperwork. Part II – Study and own contributions, presented on 148 pages and it is
73,26% of the paperwork.
The thesis was elaborated on the basis of consulting a number of 181 bibliographic
titles, ending with general conclusions and useful recommendations for improving the meat
production, establishing a strategy of improving the meat production through
crossbreeding according to the breeding area, the local sheep breed and the used breed
which is specialized for the meat production, which aims to assure the improvement of
carcasses’ quality.
Part I –Bibliographic Study
The first part of the paperwork is structured in 3 chapters, the first chapter with
three subchapters, the second chapter with two subchapters, the third chapter with five
subchapters, whose contents is briefly presented as follows: In Chapter I, Aspects
regarding the sheep breeding and exploitation at the world level, which has 3
subchapters, aspects regarding sheep exploitation in the world are presented - I.1. Sheep
evolution in the world, the most important data regarding sheep breeding and exploitation
in the world, the directions of development being presented; I.2. Evolution of the sheep
meat and milk productions in the world – data regarding the level of the main
productions, meat and milk, obtained from the sheep species during years, in various areas
of the world are presented; I.3. The situation of the raw wool (unwashed) production in
the world – the evolution of the production of the raw wool in the world during 1990-2002
in the main geographical areas of the world is presented. In Chapter II Aspects regarding
sheep breeding and exploitation in Romania, which is consisting of 2 subchapters,
presenting data regarding the evolution of the sheep effectives in Romania, during years,
despite of the world trends to increase the number of sheep effectives and especially the
productions achieved, during 1991-2000 s-au high decreases were registered (Taftă V.,
2008). The number decrease of the sheep effectives was up to 31.28%; there are also
presented the direction of exploiting the local sheep breeds, the milk production being 50 –
60% of the incomes at Ţigaie and Ţurcană breeds and the meat production being over 60 %
of the incomes at Merinos breeds: II.1. Evolution of the sheep effectives in Romania
provides data which in fact is the base for the strategy developed by the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development for the following years, which is optimistic enough,
premising an improvement of the sheep effectives; II.2. Dynamics of the sheep
productions in Romania presents the rate of the sheep and goat species at the total meat
production, the evolution of the goat and sheep milk production in Romania during 1990 -
2000, its proportion at the total milk production at national level, the trend for the analyzed
period and the value of the average individual production for the sheep species. In Chapter
III Methods and technologies of increasing the meat production at sheep which consists
of 5 subchapters, there are presented aspects regarding the quantity and quality of the sheep
meat depending on a series of factors, on the breeding methods, on intensifying the
reproduction: III. 1. The factors which influence the meat production at sheep - presents
the factors which influence the quantity and quality of the sheep meat; to know the factors
which determine the meat production, and also their way of action has a special importance
in organizing and developing the sheep exploitation for this production, conditioning the
capacity of production and the economic efficiency of this activity; III.1.1. The genetic
factors, represented by the breed, sex and type of dropping, the milk production; III.1.2.
The factors of internal environment, age, health estate; III.1.3. The factors of external
environment, the factors which influence being the climate, the alimentation; III.2.
Breeding in pure breed and the directional progressive selection – with the purpose of
improving the sheep for the meat production it is used the breeding in pure breed, which is
based on the principles, methods and work procedures elaborated by the populations’
genetics; the breeding in pure breed uses the procedures: the directional progressive
selection for the meat production, using the reproducers which have a valuable genetic
background and which were checked through the test of sidedness, creating lines and
families, combining them, inbreeding, which sometimes can lead until incest,
crossbreeding of infusion, using also the functional gymnastics of the digestive tube, which
consists in an abundant alimentation and with a high degree of palatability, which is
applied singe the youngest period (Drăgănescu C., 1979); III.3. Crossbreeding of infusion
and creating new sheep populations, with increased skills for the meat production – with
the purpose of a quick improvement of the sheep for the meat production there can be used
the crossbreeding between sheep breeds whenever the productive aptitudes of the sheep
populations cannot be improved only by applying the selection; the pairing of the local
populations with specialized breeds is made, after certain schemes, to obtain superior
products of exploitation or for creating a new basis, larger, on which the selection will
action - crossbreeding of improvement, crossbreeding of absorption; crossbreeding of
creating new populations; III.4. The industrial crossbreeding with breeds specialized for
meat production – the use of the industrial crossbreeding is a quick way of increasing and
improving the meat production (Ionescu A, 1994), the method being frequently used in
many countries, which guided their sheep breeding especially to the meat production,
consisting in crossbreeding two or three breeds; the biological and economical effects of
the industrial crossbreeding consist in the fact that the phenomenon of heterozis is used, in
increasing and improving the meat production; the industrial half-breeds have a higher
rhythm of growing, a better capitalization of food, through a smaller specific consumption
per kilogram of increasing rate, comparing to the products of the paternal breeds,
sometimes the said indicators are superior even than those of the improving breed and it is
obtained an improvement of the carcasses’ quality; the industrial crossbreeding allows the
improvement of the performances of the obtained products, associating the quality of two
breeds, having benefit of the effect of complementarity, the females from the country
breeds, with good maternal qualities are associated with paternal breeds, which present
good qualities of the carcasses and of big format, so with a high speed of growing, these
two phenomena being related; III.5. Intensifying the reproduction – taking into account
the particularities of sheep reproduction, the natural conditions and the present economical
requirements, it is aimed the improvement of the reproduction, a biological premise of
increasing the effectives and productions; the bio-technique of reproduction is made
through a complex of measurements to the optimal development of the reproductive
process and a maximum use.Applying an intensive reproduction requires the use of it in an
appropriate framing with the biological requirements, in the process of reproduction and
very related with the economical opportunities. Through this process, it is aimed the
progressive increase of the number of products, so an increase of prolificacy, increasing
their quality, obtaining an economical efficiency of reproduction (Zamfirescu Stela, 1998);
the breeding and exploitation of sheep for the meat production imposes a basic
technological element, intensifying the process of reproduction.
Part II Own Study and Contributions,
Is structured in 5 chapters, chapter VI is structured in 7 subchapters, Chapter VII is
structured in 6 subchapters. In Chapter IV, The importace of the paperwork: taking into
account the fact that lately the preferences of the consumers for the sheep meat increased,
due to the special nutritive features of this product and the fact that it became competitive
with the beef and chicken meat, in some countries being even more expensive, with 20-
30%, the interest for increasing the meat production is raising continuously, in the near
perspective and on long term, indicating a major increase of the market requirements; in
Romania the requirements of the external market are an important stimulus for developing
this production; the purpose of this paperwork is to make comparative researches regarding
the increase of the meat production, correcting the defects of carcass, increasing the output
at slaughtering etc, through simple industrial crossbreeding between the sheep of Merinos
breed and the meat breeds as Texel, Suffolk and Blackhead of Teleorman and fattening the
F1 half-breed lambs in semi-intensive system; it is aimed the testing of the capacity to
combine the local sheep breeds through crossbreeding with breeds which are specialized
for the meat production, improving the quality of carcasses according to the standards of
the European Union. Chapter V, Data about the sheep exploitation where the
experiments were made : it is a brief description of the farm of S.C. ARGONAUT SRL,
placed near Commune of Viişoara, in the County of Constanţa, where the works for the
Doctor’s thesis were made; at the farm there are bred more sheep breeds with mixed
productions, milk-meat, meat-wool, meat-milk, meat-milk-wool, in the last 4 years an
average of 1500 animals being bred; the farm has two shelters for sheep, which offer
optimum conditions of microclimate (temperature, humidity, lack of currents), and as
accommodation area, so that to give the possibility to express the whole productive
potential of the sheep which are being bred in this farm. Chapter VI, Material and method
presents: VI. 1. Used biologic material – the researches were made on an effective of
sheep of Merinos breed from S.C. ARGONAUT SRL, Constanţa: adult sheep, 4 lots – 4 x
50 animals.; F1 half-bred lambs from crossbreeding of rams from the specialized breeds for
meat, Suffolk, Texel and from the breed of Blackhead de Teleorman, with sheep of
Merinos breed, n = 3 x 25 animals; with the purpose of comparing the results of the
improving effect of the made crossbreeding, upon the skill for the meat production, it was
also organized a witness lot, consisting in male sheep youth of Merinos breed, n = 1 x
25 animals ; VI.2. Maintenance of animals, nutrition and the control of the fodder
consumption – the maintenance of sheep was made for 150-160 days in stabling and 205-
215 days on pasture; during stabling the sheep were maintained in shelters which were
prepared accordingly and equipped with paddocks; fodder ratios were assured depending
on age and the physiological estate of the animals (Stoica I, 1997); the use of the cultivated
pastures was done on a longer period, it having benefic effects upon the health and
productive level of the animals; VI.3. Organizing the reproduction, has aimed the
development of more activities, containing: matching the pairs; effecting the artificial
inseminations or natural mounting; establishing the performances of reproduction by
calculating the main indicators of reproduction; VI.4. The control of milk production - it
was used the Romanian method of the control coefficient, elaborated by Nica-Dermengi;
VI.5. The control of meat production – there were made the control slaughtering for each
experimental variant and for the witness lots (when the fattened young sheep reached
average weights of 35 kg); the output at slaughtering was calculated, the surface of the
Longissimus dorsi muscle and the surface of the section of the joint were determined, the
tissue composition of ½ of the carcass was determined, chemical analyses of the meat
samples were made; VI.6. The economical analysis of the exploitation - the calculus of
the elements of expenses specific to sheep breeding and exploitation was made and the
calculus of the incomes from sheep exploitation; VI.7. Other activities; Chapter VII
Results and discussions presents 6 subchapters: VII.1. Crossbreeding of local breeds with
specialized breeds for meat production – it was made the industrial crossbreeding of
Merinos breed with the breeds specialized for the meat production, Texel and Suffolk and
with the breed of Blackhead of Teleorman; VII.2. Weighing and registering the lambs –
each lamb was weighed individually, registering the weight at birth of the lambs per sexes
and type of dropping, simple and twin; VII.3. Determining the main reproduction
indicators at sheep – there were determined the main reproduction indicators, fecundity
and prolificacy on the lots in the experiment, achieving a fecundity indicator of 91.30%
and a prolificacy indicator of 113.33% on the entire effective of sheep. VII.4. Dynamics of
breeding the lambs since birth till weaning – the evolution of the body weight and the
daily increasing rate until the age of 28 days and until weaning was determined through
weighing the lambs at dropping, at the age of 28 days and at weaning; the evolution of the
body weight of the lambs during milking period expresses the productive genetic potential
of the observed sheep breeds and populations. VII.5. Fattening the lambs obtained from
crossbreeding the local breed of Merinos with breeds specialized for meat production,
which consisted of: VII.5.1. Determining the fattening capacity of the half-breeds – the
control of fattening was made through individual periodical weightings establishing the
speed of growing, expressed by the total increasing rate and by the average daily increasing
rate; VII.5.2. Making the control slaughtering and calculating the output – the
calculation of the output after slaughtering refers to R1 (output 1), as relation between the
weight of the cooled carcass, after 24 hours from slaughtering and the weight of the living
animal and R2 (output 2), as relation between the weight of the cooled carcass, after 24
hours from slaughtering and the net weight of the living animal (the living weight minus
the content of the digestive tracts); VII.5.3. Appreciating the quality of carcasses – it was
determined the tissue structure of the carcass by cutting the carcass in relation to the value
of the butcher’s of the various areas, noting that at the F1 hybrid lambs the carcasses had a
significantly bigger quantity of muscles comparatively to the mother breed of Merinos, had
a significantly smaller quantity of bones comparatively to the mother breed of Merinos and
a slightly increase of the fat quantity comparatively to the mother breed of Merinos; by
determining the proportion of muscles / bones at the carcasses obtained from the F1 hybrid
lambs it can be noted at the Merinos lambs a proportion of 2.5/1, at the F1 Suffolk x
Merinos half-breed lambs of 1.9/1, at the F1 Texel x Merinos half-breed lambs of 3/1 and
at the F1 Blackhead of Teleorman X Merinos half-breed lambs of 2.1/1; VII.5.4.
Determining the histological structure of the fattened lamb meat – the determination of
the histological structure of the meat from the fattened male youth was made by calculating
the average value of the dimensions of the muscular fibers from the area of the
Longissimus dorsi muscle immediately after slaughtering, the samples were prepared,
histological sections were made; it was remarked a decrease of the diameter of the
muscular fibers at the F1 Texel x Merinos and F1 Suffolk x Merinos half-breeds, and at
the F1 Blackhead of Teleorman X Merinos half-breeds the value of the diameter of the
muscular fibers is almost equal to that obtained from Merinos; VII.5.5. Determining the
chemical composition of the fattened lamb meat – the percent of collagen in relation to
the content of protein, from the dry substance, is smaller at the F1 Suffolk x Merinos, F1
Texel x Merinos, F1 Blackhead of Teleorman X Merinos half-breeds, comparatively to
Merinos; VII.6. The economic efficiency of the system of breeding and exploiting the
sheep under the conditions of industrial breeding, which consisted of: VII.6.1.
Developing the technological flux of the exploitation – the sheep, no matter what breed
they were maintained in stables for 162 days, and on the pasture for 203 days, the
developing of the technological flux being made differently, depending on the system of
maintenance; VII.6.2. Establishing the technical parameters of the exploitation - in
establishing the technical parameters of the exploitation it was taken into account the
developing of the technological flux for the adult sheep, which was made differently,
depending on the system of maintenance, in stables and on the pasture; VII.6.3.
Calculating the elements of expenses which are specific to sheep breeding and
exploitation – the value of the elements of expenses made, on the total of exploitation, was
of 7441.91 Euro; providing that at the level of the exploitation it would be necessary that
the fodders to be supplied to feed the sheep, both those from the category of the complex
ones and also the young sheep subject to fattening the general expenses would be much
higher, of 49626.4 Euro; VII.6.4. Calculating the incomes achieved from sheep
exploitation - The total incomes, at the whole effective, on the whole sheep exploitation,
at S.C. ARGONAUT SRL are of 80090 Euro, the highest incomes at this exploitation
being achieved with the meat sold lively, of 36750 Euro (the half-breed young ram are
being sold very good); although the price of the material for reproduction is low, from the
animal in this category the amount of 7500 Euro is obtained; VII.6.5. The economic result
of the whole exploitation – it can be noted an important amount as income, the net income
of the exploitation S.C. ARGONAUT SRL, which is of 72648.02 Euro.