PERFORMANCE OF IMPORTED SHEEP TO KUWAIT UNDER SIMULATED PROCEDURES TO TRANSPORTATION PRIOR TO SLAUGHTERING

ABSTRACT
More than three hundred imported Australian sheep were used to
determine the ability of project team members to categorize stressed from a
lesser stressed animals that transported all the way from Australian ports to
Kuwait. Accuracy of differentiating the two groups went up to 90%. Such
accuracy encouraged the team members to proceed with the second phase
dealing with the initiation of the Stress Score System. This will help the decision
maker to give the right grouping decisions for weather animals should go to
slaughtering, meat factory, live sales or for housing in the farm. Simulated
procedures were used to create stress on experimental animals in two ways.
Animals were stressed due to altitude change and kept in multiple level cages
that are movable with the movement of the animal and categorized into three
sub groups (H = Third floor) , (M = Second floor) (L = Lower or ground floor).
The other group of animals was kept under simulated measure of tough handling
processes ((Th= Tough handling) or normal handling processes (Nh-G = Normal
handling). Animals exposed to simulated actions for location and handling
showed a decline in cortisol levels by time. This was shown clearly by plotting
the linear trend graph for the response of serum cortisol level in animals exposed
to the several stress actions. Animals in L floor fluctuate lesser than the other
groups. All animals exposed to tough handling had higher serum cortisol level
than the Nh group. Animals from H and M floors gained lesser weights than
those from L floor throughout the experiment time. Meanwhile, Nh group
gained lesser weight than those inTh group. Animals under higher stress in all
the groups showed darker meat, less tenderness and poorer taste preference.
Ratios of liver, kidney and heart weights to the half carcass weight were 
measured. Liver and kidney ratios for those under higher stress were higher but
the opposite with the heart ratios. Cortisol level for animals that head covered at
slaughter time was lower than those without a head cover while color, taste and
tenderness did not show significant difference due t the short time of the stress
effect.