Effects of different raising systems on growth performance, carcass, and meat quality of medium-growing chickens. Issue 1 (1st January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Ying; Luo, Chenglong; Wang, Jie; Guo, Fuyou
• Is Part Of: Journal of applied animal research. Volume 45:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 326
• Page End: 330
• Publication Date: 2017-01-01
• Subjects: Raising system -- growth performance -- carcass traits -- meat quality; Animal culture -- India -- Periodicals; Animal culture -- Tropics -- Periodicals; 636.005
• DOI: 10.1080/09712119.2016.1190735
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0971-2119

Abstract

ABSTRACT: A growing awareness of human health, nutrition, and animal welfare concerns has led to the development of specialty markets for organic food. Poultry produced in alternative systems, such as free-range or organic, are part of this trend. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the differences in growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of medium-growing chickens raised in three different raising systems: indoor-floor, cage, and free-range. One hundred and twenty female Lingnanhuang medium-growing birds were reared in each system. All birds were offered the same diets and were grown for 90 days. The body weight gain and feed conversion ratios (feed/gain) of birds from the cage and indoor-floor systems were superior to those kept in the free-range system. The raising system significantly affected eviscerated carcass, abdominal fat, breast muscle, and leg muscle yields as well as shear force value of muscle ( P < .05). There was no difference in pH, water-holding capacity, intramuscular fat, and inosine monophosphate content among the systems ( P > .05). In conclusion, in medium-growing chickens, the free-range raising system had significant negative effects on growth performance and abdominal fat content.