The objectiveof this paper was to study subcutaneous fat thickness, loin eye area, lengthand maximum depth measurements of the longissimus dorsi muscle betweenthe 13th rib and the 1st lumbar vertebra determined by ultrasound examinationand on the carcass of discard ewes slaughtered in different physiological stages,besides correlation and determination coefficients among measurements evaluated.It was used 21 Santa Ines ewes distributed into the following treatments: EL= ewes that remained in lactation for 60 days with their respective lambs andslaughtered one day after weaning; EWL = ewes that remained in lactation for60 days with their respective lambs one more period of approximately 30 dayswithout the lambs and slaughtered afterwards; and ENC = ewes that did not givebirth during the year. Results showed that the maximum length of the longissimusdorsi muscle obtained by ultrasound examination and on carcass of the animalswere not influenced by the experimental treatments. The ultrasound can be usedwith reasonable accuracy to estimate characteristics of the carcass of discardewes, particularly the thickness of subcutaneous fat.
