A total of 24 lambs, eight intact Ile de France, eight castrated Ile de France and eight castrated Hampshire Down, were used in this experiment with the main objective of evaluating quantitative and qualitative carcass traits. The animals were raised on a Coast-Cross pasture and slaughtered at 12 months of age. Carcasses from intact Ile de France lambs had significantly more neck than carcasses from castrated Ile de France lambs. No other differences were observed between carcasses from intact or castrated Ile de France. However, differences between breeds were observed for tissue composition of the shoulder. Shoulders from Ile de France carcasses (intact or castrated) presented greater percentage of muscles and greater relation of muscles/bones than shoulders from Hampshire Down lambs. Results indicate that intact males can be recommended for sheep meat production systems, when slaughter occurs up to 12 months of age.
lamb; slaughter; sheep; tissue composition
