Carcass Composition and Skeletal Muscle Distribution in Broilers Produced under Different Nutritional Regimes-3. Male Broilers Showing Maximum Early Growth and Restricted Later Growth

Abstract

., 2008a, b). In birds which show rapid growth rates in the later stage, the wing muscle recovers its superior size regardless of variation in its relative size in chicks at 3 weeks of age. It is possible that the relative size of the hind limb muscle of broilers could be increased relative to the size of wing muscle by limiting growth rate in chickens during the pre–slaughter phase. In the present study, chicks were either fed a diet which limited growth throughout the experimental period or a diet which severely limited growth after the maximum growth phase in the first 3 weeks. Since nei-ther group of broilers attained their target body weight (3 kg) by 80 days, some of the birds were reared until 95 days of age. Body size, carcass composition and skeletal muscle distribution were compared between the treatment groups and with previous data (Das