Twenty-seven male Saanen kids were used in a completely randomized design to investigate the effect of feed restriction on retail and biological carcass yields, proportion of carcass retail cuts, carcass compactness, leg tissue composition, and ribeye area (REA). Animals were assigned to one of the following treatments: 0 (free access to feed: ad libitum), 30 or 60% of feed restriction. Initial body weight (BW) averaged 5 kg and animals were slaughtered when they reached 20 kg BW. Data were submitted to regression analysis as function of feed restriction. Feed restriction reduced carcass weight, retail cuts weight, and chump proportion and increased neck proportion. Bone proportion also increased while muscle tissue and fat proportion (including subcutaneous fat) decreased with feed restriction. Although REA and carcass compactness were both affected by feed restriction, they can be used to predict the proportion of carcass muscle. Carcass traits of Saanen kids were not negatively affected by 30% of feed restriction.
bone; retail yield; intermuscular fat; muscle; subcutaneous fat
