Growth Performance, Carcass Composition and Tenderness of Meat in Male Layer-type Chickens Slaughtered at Different Age

Authors

  • Teodora Popova Agricultural Academy, Institute of Animal Science - Kostinbrod, Bulgaria
  • Evgeni Petkov Agricultural Academy, Institute of Animal Science - Kostinbrod, Bulgaria
  • Maya Ignatova Agricultural Academy, Institute of Animal Science - Kostinbrod, Bulgaria
  • Stefan Dragoev University of Food Technologies, Bulgaria
  • Desislava Vlahova-Vangelova University of Food Technologies, Bulgaria
  • Desislav Balev University of Food Technologies, Bulgaria
  • Nikolay Kolev University of Food Technologies, Bulgaria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7546/CRABS.2023.01.17

Keywords:

male layer-type chickens, growth performance, carcass, meat cooking loss, tenderness

Abstract

An experiment with male layer-type chickens was carried out in the Institute of Animal Science-Kostinbrod, aiming to investigate their growth performance and carcass composition, as well as the cooking loss and tenderness of the meat at the age of 5 and 9 weeks. The birds were reared in controlled microclimate, with initial stocking density of 22 birds/m2. After 5 weeks of age, fragmentation of the stocking density was applied and it was diminished to 7 birds/m2. Chickens were slaughtered at 5 and 9 weeks of age, and 10 chickens of each age group were subjected to carcass analysis. The average live weight of the birds at 5 weeks was 329 g, while the 9 weeks old chickens reached 1096 g. In order to attain the weight of the first age of slaughter (5 weeks) the chickens gained 294.03 g with a feed conversion ratio of 2.97, whereas for the whole period the feed conversion ratio was 2.91. The dressing percentage of the 5 weeks old chicks was 51.26%. For the 9 weeks old it was 77.62%. The age affected the yield of the main carcass components and the older birds had higher yield of breast (P=0.0035) and thighs (P<0.0001). The cooking loss for both breast and thigh meat was higher in younger chickens (P<0.0001). The tenderness measured as Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) of breast and thigh remained unaffected by the age at slaughter. Its values classified the meat of the male layer-type chickens from this trial as “very tender”.

Author Biographies

Teodora Popova, Agricultural Academy, Institute of Animal Science - Kostinbrod, Bulgaria

Mailing Address:
Agricultural Academy,
Institute of Animal Science - Kostinbrod
2232 Kostinbrod, Bulgaria

E-mail: tlpopova@yahoo.com

Evgeni Petkov, Agricultural Academy, Institute of Animal Science - Kostinbrod, Bulgaria

Mailing Address:
Agricultural Academy,
Institute of Animal Science - Kostinbrod
2232 Kostinbrod, Bulgaria

E-mail: mechovet@abv.bg

Maya Ignatova, Agricultural Academy, Institute of Animal Science - Kostinbrod, Bulgaria

Mailing Address:
Agricultural Academy,
Institute of Animal Science - Kostinbrod
2232 Kostinbrod, Bulgaria

E-mail: maia_ignatova@abv.bg

Stefan Dragoev, University of Food Technologies, Bulgaria

Mailing Address:
University of Food Technologies
26 Maritsa Blvd
4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria

E-mail: logos2000lt@gmail.com

Desislava Vlahova-Vangelova, University of Food Technologies, Bulgaria

Mailing Address:
University of Food Technologies
26 Maritsa Blvd
4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria

E-mail: desislava_vangelova@abv.bg

Desislav Balev, University of Food Technologies, Bulgaria

Mailing Address:
University of Food Technologies
26 Maritsa Blvd
4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria

E-mail: phdbalev@gmail.com

Nikolay Kolev , University of Food Technologies, Bulgaria

Mailing Address:
University of Food Technologies
26 Maritsa Blvd
4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria

E-mail: nik0zzz11@gmail.com

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Published

30-01-2023

How to Cite

[1]
T. Teodora, “Growth Performance, Carcass Composition and Tenderness of Meat in Male Layer-type Chickens Slaughtered at Different Age”, C. R. Acad. Bulg. Sci., vol. 76, no. 1, pp. 156–164, Jan. 2023.

Issue

Section

Agricultural Sciences