Non-carcass components in Omani camels (Camelus dromedarius) raised under various levels of feed intake

The current experiment describes the effects of feeding varying levels of feed intake on non-carcass components on Omani dromedary camels. Twelve Omani male camels (6-8 month old and 203.5± 15.5 kg body weight) were fed a concentrate and Rhodesgrass hay (RGH) diet at a 60:40 then 80:20 concentrate:hay ratio. Camels received a feed intake equivalent to 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5% of body weight for 162 days at the end of which all camels were slaughtered. The slaughter weight of the Omani camels ranged between 228 to 268.5 kg for the low to high intake animals, respectively. The corresponding hot carcass weights were 104.5 and 131.5 kg. The dressing out percentage (DOP) ranged between 45.7 to 48.7%. The skin contributed the highest proportions of the EBW (8.8-9.5%). The proportions of head, feet and neck in the EBW were 3.9-4.16%, 3.9-4.2% and 5.3%, respectively. Generally, the proportions of carcass fat in the camel are higher than the non-carcass due to the significant proportion of the hump (30%). The camel had a low subcutaneous fat cover when the hump is excluded. The total non-carcass fat appears to be lower in camels as compared to other meat animals. The proportion of the kidney plus pelvic fat was the most significant (11.5%) and appears to be similar to other animals. Omental fat was lower as compared to that of other meat animals. A significant fat depot is found on the abdominal floor accounting for 16.8% of total body fat. This is unique to the camel and it may be an adaptation feature possibly to provide insulation when the animal is crouching. It should be noted that the camel carcasses may become extremely fat under intensive management with hump fat extends over the cutis and with the abdominal flap fat, a camel carcass may be classified as over-fat upon carcass grading.