BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Can ultrasound eye muscle area scanning be used in the New Zealand deer industry?

摘要

The New Zealand Deer Industry Productivity Strategy 2009-2014 (Deer Industry New Zealand, 2009) aims to increase deer carcass weight by 10% and introduce a carcass yield module to their performance recording database DEERSelect. In other livestock species real-time ultrasonography offers a non-invasive, non-destructive, standardised muscle measurement on live breeding stock (Faulkner et al, 1990). Ultrasound scanning allows eye muscle (M. longissimus dorsi) dimensions and cross-sectional area to be recorded as traits for genetic evaluation in the Sheep (SIL) and Beef (BREEDPLAN) performance recording databases. These measurements can be used to estimate muscularity for genetic selection. In cervids such as, moose, wapiti, and mule deer, ultrasonography has previously been used only on sedated wildlife to predict body condition, using point measurements of fat and muscle depth (Stephenson et al, 1998). This study investigates if farmed deer can be ultrasound scanned while restrained without sedation, what muscle dimensions should be measured and whether those measurements would be useful for genetic selection.