ChileanJAR

The studv was performed at the Hidango Experimental Substation (INIA). Ninetv six (96) carcasses of four months old lambs, distriputed in 10 groups, corresponding to the breeds and crossbreeds used (Table 1), were used. Average results were: 27.6 kg liveweight (LW), 14.7 kg warm carcass weight (WCW), 49% warm carcass vield (WCY), 70.2 cm thorax perimeter (TP), 11.8 cm loin eve area (LEA), 1.2 cm widthness of back fat (WBF), 16.6 cm trocanteres widthness (TW), 29.2 cm leg lenght (LL), and 15.7 cm widthness of leg (WL). The following significant correlations (P < 0.05) were found: 0.29 for LW/WBF: 0.77 for LW/WCW; 0.76 for TP/WCW; 0.41 for LEA/WCW; 0.50 for TW/WL; 0.13 for LLlLW; 0.32 for WLlLW; 0.32 for TW/LW; and 0.25 for LEA/WL. It was concluded that DP, LEA and WBF are parameters that do not allow a good assesment of carcass qualitv; LEA in lambs studied is minima! and not bigger than 2 mm. The zoometric parameters considered here, have only a relative value for the prediction of the carcass qualitv.