Besides contributing to income generation, sheep
farming is an economic activity that sustains rural zone
families, primarily in the Brazilian semiarid region. Despite
this activity increases the consumption of sheep meat in
large urban centers it is still poorly explored in certain
regions. The sheep breeds raised for meat production grow
faster and have a good carcass finishing; however, these
are very demanding in terms of food supply and sanitary
management. Despite having a carcass appearance that
falls short of the expected by consumers, native breeds
such as the crossbreed Santa Inês have a remarkable
adaptability to the semi-arid conditions prevalent in
northeastern Brazil