Abstract
We investigated the effects of different raising systems on growth performance, lipid deposition and meat quality traits of chickens. The chickens were raised for 28 days and then randomly assigned into three raising systems with similar body weight (BW) as follows: indoor caged, indoor floor pens and free-range system. They were sacrificed and analysed after 112 days. The raising system had no significant effect on BW and daily weight gain (P > 0.05), but had a significant effect on male thigh intramuscular fat (IMF) and female abdominal fat content (PAF) content (P < 0.05). The expression of hepatic fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA level in free-range raising system was significantly lower than that of caged indoor raising systems (P < 0.05). The meat quality (ΔpH, drip loss, shear force and fibre traits) was largely affected by the raising system (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the data indicated that the free-range raising system could significantly reduce thigh IMF content and hepatic FAS expression, consequently affecting the meat quality.
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