Van der Mey G J
Tijdschr Diergeneeskd. 1975 May 1;100(9):498-502.
The quantitative aspects of the composition of the carcases of newborn bull calves were studied. Fifty bull calves of the Dutch-Friesian and fify of the Meuse-Rhine-Yssel breed, all of which were third calves of pedigree cows, were purchased, slaughtered and anatomically dissected. Several of the muscles which are of interest to retailers have been identified both by their Dutch and by their Latin names. At an age of nearly five days, calves of the Dutch-Friesian breed weighed 39.5 kg., those of the Meuse-Rhine-Yssel breed weighing 42.5 kg. The height at withers of calves of the Dutch-Friesian breed was 70 cm. and that of calves of the Meuse-Rhine-Yssel breed was 68.7 cm. The carcass dressing percentage was identical in the two breeds, being 61.2 per cent. The composition of the muscles of the fore-quarters as well as that of the muscles of the hind-quarters showed slight significant differences between the two breeds. This is a striking feature, the more so these breeds were not separated until the early part of the present century. Coefficients of correlation are given for many of the magnitudes studied. Moreover, bilateral dissection was carried out in eighty-eight carcases. This showed that, on an average, the left half of the carcass was heavier than the right half. Those components of the weight, which were mainly involved, are stated. The literature was studied with special reference to the following subjects: aspects affecting the birth weight, the relationship between birth weight and meat production and the ratio between the weight of muscles within the carcases.
