Abstract
ABSTRACTThe objective of the study was to determine the effect of age and sex on carcass characteristics and internal organ weights in scavenging guinea fowls and chickens. Ninety-six scavenging birds, purchased from farmers, were used comprising 48 guinea fowls and 48 chickens from communal farmers. Guinea fowls comprised 25 females and 23 males, with 21 growers and 27 adults. Chickens had 18 females and 30 males with 19 growers and 29 adults. Guinea fowls had heavier body weight and relative hot carcass and cold dressed weight than chickens and which increased with age. Breast and wing relative weights were higher in guinea fowls. Chickens recorded the higher weight of leg and drumstick than guinea fowls. The neck, feet and head weights were heavier in chickens except for the back which was similar to guinea fowls. Chickens had significantly higher abdominal fat than guinea fowls. Relative weights of the heart, liver, kidney, lung and gizzard were higher in chickens. Relative total intestinal weight and lengths of total intestines, small and large intestines were higher in chickens than in guinea fowls. Relative lengths of the intestines decreased with age. Chickens and guinea fowls could have different capacities to utilize scavengeable feed resources.
Highlights
The raising of traditional free range poultry is of great importance in smallholder communal production systems
Guinea fowls had heavier carcasses than chickens which are supported by CAB International (1987) who reported that guinea fowls have got a small skeletal frame and their carcasses yield a large amount of meat
The body weight and relative hot carcass and cold dressed weights for guinea fowls were heavier than chickens and these parameters showed an increasing trend with age, and males were heavier than females
Summary
The raising of traditional free range poultry is of great importance in smallholder communal production systems. Village poultry in Southern Africa includes chickens, guinea fowls, turkeys, geese and pigeons (Delany 2003). Guinea fowls complement village chicken enterprises by utilizing spaces and feeds that are not accessible to chickens. They produce more eggs than chickens, they are poor in brooding them. Data on the interface and synergy between scavenging chickens and guinea fowls are scarce (Poulsen et al 2000; Obike et al 2011). Popularizing guinea fowls as a source of quality meat and cheaper animal protein is important (Singh et al 2015)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
