Abstract
The article presents the main qualitative indicators of lamb meat, which include the ratio of bones and pure meat, the specific weight of the most valuable cuts, and the energy value of meat. The meat index of a carcass refers to the weight ratio of the pulp and bones. The greater the proportion of pulp in a carcass, the higher its nutritional value. In the case of sheep with a pre-slaughter weight in the range of 35.0-39.0 kg, the carcass weight with a tail was found to be 18.06–20.47 kg, with a carcass yield of The percentage of tail weight was found to be 51.6-52.5%, with a tail weight of 2.4-3.2 kg. The slaughter weight was 18.27-20.70 kg, with a slaughter yield of 52.2-53.1%. It was found that all slaughter indicators increased with an increase in the pre-slaughter live weight of sheep. The mass of internal fat was found to be the most stable slaughter indicator, with a level in the carcass of 4-4.5-month-old sheep ranging from 0.20-0.23 g, with an output of 0.5-0.6%. The distribution of lambs obtained from both types of selection, according to slaughter and meat quality, followed approximately the same pattern as that observed when studying the dynamics of their live weight during the suckling and subsequent periods of development, including two months of feeding. It is recommended that the sale of over-repair young for meat be primarily conducted at 4-4.5 months of age, which coincides with the weaning of the young from their queens. The animals should have a live weight of at least 35 kg and above. The purposeful selection of parents by live weight enabled the slaughter performance of young animals to be enhanced and carcasses to be produced that met the requirements of standards for young mutton.