Commercial Poultry Production Research Articles

Microbiome characterization of poultry products based on the poultry part and production label.

Poultry is one of the most consumed meats worldwide and there are many different types of poultry products available on the market for consumers. Many poultry producers provide a variety of labeled meats based on rearing system such as organic, free-range and antibiotic-free. However, these labels often can be misleading by implying organic products are better in safety and quality compared to poultry products without additional labels. In this study, the microbiological profiles of commercial poultry products were characterized via a next generation sequencing. A variety of poultry products including whole carcass, leg, breast and thigh were purchased from local markets and subdivided by labels indicating organic, non-antibiotic, free range and no-label. According to the microbiome analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene, similar level of species richness were observed in comparison by labels, however, different parts and producers exhibited significant differences. Also, microbial similarities among groups were measured and most samples showed relatively close clustering based on the poultry part and the producer. The results emphasize potential contamination routes and the importance of the control strategy during the pre-harvest step of poultry products. The results also envision potential opportunities to improve current production procedure being utilized by industries.

Effect of strain, sex and rearing system on carcass and fat yield of Naked Neck, Ovambo and Potchefstroom Koekoek chickens

Meat and fat yield influence the profitability of modern commercial poultry production. This study investigated the effect of strain, sex and rearing system on carcass and fat yields of 3 slow-growing chicken strains. Two hundred and eighty-eight Potchefstroom Koekoek, Ovambo and Naked Neck chickens, weighing 1710 ± 308.8 g, were allocated to 4 free-range pens and 4 housed pens. Body (BW), carcass (CW), dressed (DW), cut, giblet, fat pad (AFP) weights were determined after 4 weeks. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted in SAS. Strain influenced (P less than 0.05) thigh, neck and giblet weight. Males were heavier (P less than 0.05), yielding heavier cuts and pancreases but lighter AFP than females. Ovambos yielded the heaviest portions among the 3 strains. Free-range birds experienced crop, gizzard hypertrophy and pancreatic atrophy. Further research could focus on fatty acid composition of meat from free-range systems to establish potential implications on heart-related health conditions.

Haemagglutination inhibition antibody responses of pullet and broiler chickens (<i>Gallus gallus domesticus</i>) to Newcastle disease virus LaSota vaccination

Newcastle disease outbreaks still occur sporadically in commercial vaccinated flocks and remains a constant threat to poultry producers despite advances in vaccination against the disease. Another aspect that can be a complementary control strategies or that is well recognized but is often neglected is the differences in immune response due to genetic or breed/type variation. This study investigated the immune responses to LaSota vaccination in light weight type or breeds of chickens (pullets) and heavy weight type or breeds of chickens (broilers) used in commercial poultry production. Fifty seven-week-old White Marshall broilers (Br) and 50 Isa Brown pullets (Pu) of the same age were randomly divided into 4 groups viz: vaccinated broilers chickens (VaBr), unvaccinated broiler chickens (UBr), vaccinated pullet chickens (VaPu) and unvaccinated pullet chickens (UPu). Chickens in groups VaBr and VaPu were vaccinated with LaSota vaccine while groups UBr and UPu were not vaccinated. The chickens were observed for clinical signs and lesions. Serum samples were collected from the chickens in all the groups on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28 post vaccination (PV), and assayed for haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies. The geometrical mean antibody titres (GMT) of the pullets were 2 to 3 times higher than those of the broilers on days 7 to 28 PV. Vaccination produced neither clinical signs nor lesions. The above observations show that naturally pullets produce higher antibodies than broilers, and suggest breed-based variation on immune responses to Newcastle disease vaccination. The knowledge from the present study may lead to genetic approach to vaccine development and development of more effective vaccination strategies to be used in commercial poultry production. Keywords: Broilers, Haemagglutination inhibition antibody, LaSota vaccination, Pullets

Performance of Broiler Chickens Fed Maggot Meal as a Protein Substitute for Fishmeal

There is rising food insecurity in developing countries caused by rapid population growth which can be partly addressed through poultry keeping. Conventional sources of protein in commercial poultry production are fishmeal (FM) and seed cakes, which are usually scarce, expensive and used extensively by other livestock and humans. The objective of this study was to detect a simple way of producing, harvesting and processing maggots, assess the performance of broiler chickens fed maggot meal as a protein substitute for fishmeal and evaluate cost of production. Maggots of housefly (Musca domestica) were produced from layer droppings spread on the ground under shades and harvested within 4-5days, killed with heated water (70-80°C), dried in the sun to lowest moisture content (<4%), and preserved for proximate analysis and experimentation. Two hundred and twenty-five Tropical Broc day old chicks brooded for 2 weeks and fed with the control diet, were distributed in a completely randomised block design with five treatments and three replicates each consisting of the starter and finisher phases, and the experiment conducted for 8 weeks. Diets compounded had maggot meal (MM) replacing FM at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Proximate analysis showed that MM contains 48.4% CP, 20% fat, 3302.5 kcal/kg DM ME, 14.5% ASH, 13% CF and 93.9% DM. Results from experimentation revealed that broiler chicken could perform best with MM inclusion of up to 100% in place of FM (5% of the feed), and this would produce significant reduction in cost of production as compared to the control.

Source of Water and Potential Sanitizers and Biological Antimicrobials for Alternative Poultry Processing Food Safety Applications

The landscape of commercial poultry production is changing due to increasing trends in consumer preference for organic sources of poultry products. This is in part due to perceptions regarding food safety and environmental issues, along with concerns for livestock animal welfare. Consequently, alternative poultry production systems such as small-scale farming and mobile poultry processing units (MPPUs) have achieved a certain level of popularity. However, these alternative production systems, like conventional poultry processing systems, face food safety concerns, due to potential of Campylobacter and Salmonella prevalence. Unlike stationary processing systems, MPPUs may have limited access to sanitation products as they often attempt to comply with organic processing regulations. They may also have limited access to a consistent, high quality water supply which may pose additional food safety and microbial contamination concerns. Due to these food safety concerns and potential limitations on traditional sanitizers, botanicals, organic acids, dry acids, bacteriocins, and phages may offer alternative potential solutions to ensure poultry product safety. The objective of this review is to discuss food safety concerns within alternative poultry processing systems, particularly MPPUs, and describe potential sanitizer strategies.

Immunity, immunomodulation, and antibiotic alternatives to maximize the genetic potential of poultry for growth and disease response

Multiple challenges confront the increasing demand for wholesome poultry food products, including governmental restrictions on the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), nutritional requirements to obtain maximum growth potential, understanding crosstalks among the immunity–microbiota–neuroendocrine system in the gut to maximize intestinal efficiency, high-density production conditions, waste management, and the emergence of infectious pathogens, particularly those that emerge in the antibiotic-free animal production environment. Although in-feed antibiotics have dramatically increased the efficiency of commercial poultry production over the last 50 years, we are now faced with an increasing global crisis concerning the heightened use of antibiotics in animal agriculture and the emergence of multidrug-resistant superbugs that threaten disease management in animals and humans. Therefore, much interest has focused on the development of alternative, antibiotic-free methods of commercial poultry production. Initially, alternatives to antibiotics included any strategies that replace AGPs, but now include any feed additives or treatment that will allow antibiotic-free animal production to prevent and/or treat diseases. These newer disease control strategies can be classified broadly into those that are directly cytotoxic against infectious agents or remove pathogenic toxins, including vaccines, hyperimmune antibodies, antimicrobial peptides, and bacteriophages, and those that augment non-specific host immunity and gut health, including phytochemicals, adjuvants, prebiotics, and probiotics. Furthermore, because the gut microbiota influences various physiological aspects of the immune response, brain function, and gut health, most antibiotic alternatives are expected to promote beneficial microbes that will benefit host physiological responses. However, there is a timely need to better understand the role of the microbiota in gut health if we want to use microbes to modulate the host response to enhance growth performance. This review will highlight current knowledge of host immunity in poultry, and various strategies to modulate host immunity, growth performance, and disease responses to guide the development of alternatives to reduce the use of antibiotics, using a few selected alternatives and a description of their efficacy and modes of action.

Commentary: Application of gene editing in the commercial Poultry production industry1.

Commentary: Application of gene editing in the commercial Poultry production industry1.

Geographical and Historical Patterns in the Emergences of Novel Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5 and H7 Viruses in Poultry.

Over the years, the emergence of novel H5 and H7 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAI) has been taking place through two main mechanisms: first, the conversion of a low pathogenic into a highly pathogenic virus, and second, the reassortment between different genetic segments of low and highly pathogenic viruses already in circulation. We investigated and summarized the literature on emerging HPAI H5 and H7 viruses with the aim of building a spatio-temporal database of all these recorded conversions and reassortments events. We subsequently mapped the spatio-temporal distribution of known emergence events, as well as the species and production systems that they were associated with, the aim being to establish their main characteristics. From 1959 onwards, we identified a total of 39 independent H7 and H5 LPAI to HPAI conversion events. All but two of these events were reported in commercial poultry production systems, and a majority of these events took place in high-income countries. In contrast, a total of 127 reassortments have been reported from 1983 to 2015, which predominantly took place in countries with poultry production systems transitioning from backyard to intensive production systems. Those systems are characterized by several co-circulating viruses, multiple host species, regular contact points in live bird markets, limited biosecurity within value chains, and frequent vaccination campaigns that impose selection pressures for emergence of novel reassortants. We conclude that novel HPAI emergences by these two mechanisms occur in different ecological niches, with different viral, environmental and host associated factors, which has implications in early detection and management and mitigation of the risk of emergence of novel HPAI viruses.

Consumers’ acceptability of indigenous cockerel

Commercial poultry production, although fairly well developed, continues to develop rapidly in Africa and other areas of the world. The local chickens, which may perhaps be harnessed and exploited for poverty alleviation, form part of the many local assets of underprivileged people living in the rural areas. In view of this, the study aims to investigate consumer acceptability of indigenous chicken meats using survey and sensory evaluation. The survey is comprised mainly of interviewing market women and supplying birds to them for sale in order to find answers to questions related to marketability or otherwise of the naked-neck, frizzled naked-neck, and normal-feathered cockerels. An experiment was carried out to evaluate consumers’ preference of the 3 genotypes, namely NanaFf, Nanaff, and nanaff. The birds used were of the fourth generation (F4) offspring of crosses between local heterozygous naked neck (Nana) and heterozygous frizzled (Ff) males and hybrid commercial Lohmann females. Three hundred (300) cockerels that were 11 wk old crossbreds (100 of each of the 3 genotypic groups) were randomly housed in 15 open-sided, deep-litter pens with 20 cockerels in each pen in a completely randomized design for 9 wk. Burgers were prepared from the breast muscle of the carcass for sensory evaluation. The results from the survey indicated that a majority (91.7%) of the respondents admitted that they would readily accept to sell the naked-neck cockerels. Also, at almost all the sales points, the Nanaff was first to be sold out, followed by the nanaff feathered with the NanaFf being the last both before and during the major season’s sales. The results from the sensory evaluation indicated that the burgers from nanaff and NanaFf birds had significantly (P < 0.05) lower acceptability levels than those from the Nanaff birds. The naked-neck gene cockerel had a positive effect on cockerel meat and marketability.

Parthenogenesis in birds: a review.

Parthenogenesis or 'virgin birth' is embryonic development in unfertilized eggs. It is a routine means of reproduction in many invertebrates. However, even though parthenogenesis occurs naturally in even more advanced vertebrates, like birds, it is mostly abortive in nature. In fact, multiple limiting factors, such as delayed and unorganized development as well as unfavorable conditions developing within the unfertilized egg upon incubation, are associated with termination of progressive development of parthenogenetic embryos. In birds, diploid parthenogenesis is automictic and facultative producing only males. However, the mechanisms controlling parthenogenesis in birds are not clearly elucidated. Additionally, it appears from even very recent research that these mechanisms may hinder the normal fertilization process and subsequent embryonic development. For instance, virgin quail and turkey hens exhibiting parthenogenesis have reduced reproductive performance following mating. Also, genetic selection and environmental factors, such as live virus vaccinations, are known to trigger the process of parthenogenesis in birds. Therefore, parthenogenesis has a plausible negative impact on the poultry industry. Hence, a better understanding of parthenogenesis and the mechanisms that control it could benefit commercial poultry production. In this context, the aim of this review is to provide a complete overview of the process of parthenogenesis in birds.

Controlling Hydrogen Sulfide Emissions during Poultry Productions

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and other volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) have received a great deal of attention as gaseous emissions associated with poultry productions. These compounds, especially H2S, have low odor thresholds (10 ppb) and when managed improperly, higher concentrations of H2S negatively affect humans, poultry, and the environment. Primarily, odor emissions during poultry production depend on determinants such as sulfur containing compounds (cysteine and methionine) in feed and biological processes associated with their use/ production. Post feeding, as manure accumulates and during its storage, anaerobic decomposition of amino acids forms intermediate sulfur-containing compounds that ultimately form VSC. To manage poultry waste properly, it is important to have an understanding of determinants of H2S emissions, associated microorganisms, as well as their interactions. Promising areas of research to reduce odor emission include feed supplementation (additives, prebiotics, and probiotics); manure manipulation (pH, moisture, and it microbial population); housing types; ventilation rates; and bio filters. The most promising singular methods to reduce 100% H2S emissions are probiotic supplementation in feed, sawdust in manure, or a biofiltration system. Where cost and equipment availability may be prohibitive, combined methods (assuming additive effects) of fibrous byproducts and manure moisture control via microorganisms or oil addition can also reduce 100% emissions as well. More investigations should focus on these single or combined methods in commercial poultry production.

СТРАТЕГІЧНЕ УПРАВЛІННЯ ЛОГІСТИЧНОЮ ДІЯЛЬНІСТЮ В ПТАХІВНИЧИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВАХ

The article considers the strategic guidelines of the logistics activities of poultry enterprises. It is noted that the strategies of minimizing logistics costs and investing in the logistics network, maximizing and improving logistics services, maximizing income and profits, increasing the competitive advantages of the enterprise, logistics outsourcing are the most widely used logistics strategies. It is proved that the purpose of creating a logistics system is to harmonize the interests of producers, suppliers and consumers. It is established that an important factor in improving the strategic activities of the enterprise is the introduction of the principles of distribution logistics. This concept involves the use of a systematic approach and integrated planning, as well as management of the entire flow of feed, materials, breeding and commercial poultry products in various areas from suppliers, through manufacturers of breeding and breeding products, distribution centers, to the final individual and corporate consumers of poultry products. The main stages of the business process of integration of a poultry enterprise in the supply chain are schematically shown. The necessity of introduction of new, more progressive forms of service in the process of goods movement can be achieved. The need to use regional distribution centers of poultry enterprises in the supply chain, which will significantly reduce the cost of delivery of their products through the formation of optimal transport batches of products from different manufacturers, its packaging and labeling.

Study of Antibiotic Resistance on Escherichia Coli in Commercial Poultry of Nepal

The continuous use of antibiotics in compound feed at sub-therapeutic level has been an integral part of commercial poultry production in Nepal, which is one of the factors that promotes bacterial resistance. Hence, with the objective to determine antibiotic resistance in commercial poultry of Nepal, this study was designed taking Escherichia coli as a flagship bacterium. The commercial layers and broilers birds brought to veterinary teaching hospital of Agriculture and Forestry University by commercial poultry producers for disease diagnosis and treatment were considered as clinical examination of birds were carried out followed by post mortem examination (PME). Those layer/broiler birds which were not taking antibiotic orally or parenterally for last 2 weeks and diagnosed with collibacillosis on PME were included in sampling frame. Air sacculitis, fibrinous pericarditis, fibrinous perihepatitis, and coligranuloma were major criteria for presumptive diagnosis of colibacillosis on PME. The first 40 for both broiler and layer birds totaling 80 that fulfilled the criteria were selected as samples, each representing a commercial farm. All necessary information on daily management practices and previous treatments were obtained from farmer’s record book or sheets or face to face interview. Avian pathogenic E. coli was isolated from aseptically collected liver samples and confirmed by biochemical tests. Antibiogram of the isolates were investigated by means of Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. E. coli was isolated from all liver samples taken for the culture. It was found that E. coli were resistant most substantially towards Cephalexin (81.2%) and Amoxycillin (81.2%) followed by Tetracycline (78.8%), Colistin sulphate (n=50, 62.5%). Chloramphenicol (61.2%), Ciprofloxacin (55.0%), Enrofloxacin (53.8%), Levofloxacin (28.8%), however, no resistance was found against amikacin. The proportion of E. coli isolates that were resistance against Colistin sulphate (p&lt;0.05), Chloramphenicol (p&lt; 0.05), Tetracycline (p&lt;0.001), Ciprofloxacin (p&lt;0.01), Enrofloxacin (p&lt;0.05) and Gentamicin (p&lt;0.01) were significantly higher in layers compared to that of broilers. In conclusion, avian pathogenic E. coli were resistant towards several antibiotic molecules commonly used in commercial poultry of Nepal, and the resistance was higher in layers compared to broilers.

RNA-Seq de novo assembly and differential transcriptome analysis of the nematode Ascaridia galli in relation to in vivo exposure to flubendazole.

The nematode Ascaridia galli (order Ascaridida) is an economically important intestinal parasite responsible for increased food consumption, reduced performance and elevated mortality in commercial poultry production. This roundworm is an emerging problem in several European countries on farms with laying hens, as a consequence of the recent European Union (EU) ban on conventional battery cages. As infection is associated with slow development of low levels of acquired protective immunity, parasite control relies on repeated use of dewormers (anthelmintics). Benzimidazoles (BZ) are currently the only anthelmintic registered in the EU for use in controlling A. galli and there is an obvious risk of overuse of one drug class, selecting for resistance. Thus we developed a reference transcriptome of A. galli to investigate the response in gene expression before and after exposure to the BZ drug flubendazole (FLBZ). Transcriptional variations between treated and untreated A. galli showed that transcripts annotated as mitochondrial glutamate dehydrogenase and cytochrome P450 were significantly down-regulated in treated worms, whereas transcripts homologous to heat shock proteins (HSP), catalase, phosphofructokinase, and a multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein (PGP1) were significantly up-regulated in treated worms. Investigation of candidate transcripts responsible for anthelmintic resistance in livestock nematodes led to identification of several tubulins, including six new isoforms of beta-tubulin, and several ligand-gated ionotropic receptors and ABC-transporters. We discovered several transcripts associated with drug binding and processing genes, but further characterisation using a larger set of worms exposed to BZs in functional assays is required to determine how these are involved in drug binding and metabolism.

Preservation of phytase enzyme produced by anaerobic rumen bacteria, Mitsuokella jalaludinii

Poultry feed consists of feed ingredients like soybean meal and corn, which contain high levels of phytate that is poorly utilised especially by the monogastric animals that lack of phytase. Hence, phytase has been extensively applied as a feed supplement in poultry production due to the efficiency of this enzyme in improving phosphorous (P) availability, thus reducing P excretion to the environment as well as reducing the feed cost by reducing inorganic P supplementation. Mitsuokella jalaludinii, an obligate anaerobe, Gram-negative rumen bacterium, produces high phytase activity. Birds supplemented with bacterial preparation of M. jalaludinii showed comparable performance to that of commercial phytase. However, the anaerobic nature of this bacterium renders difficulty in the use of live cells as feed supplement in commercial poultry production. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine a suitable method to preserve phytase activity of M. jalaludinii regardless of cells viability. Mitsuokella jalaludinii was grown in MF medium under anaerobic condition and the cells were subjected to various treatments to preserve the enzyme, including bead beating, compressed air, moist heat, dry heat and freeze-drying under aerobic condition. The results showed that the total number of viable cells were significantly (p&lt;0.05) reduced when the cells were subjected to bead beating, whereas no viable cells were detected for compressed air, moist heat, dry heat and freeze-drying. Bead beating, compressed air, moist heat and dry heat treatments resulted in the reduction of phytase activity. However, only freeze-drying method was able to preserve high level of phytase activity significantly (p&lt;0.05).

Vaccination with Eimeria tenella elongation factor-1α recombinant protein induces protective immunity against E. tenella and E. maxima infections

Avian coccidiosis is caused by multiple species of the apicomplexan protozoan, Eimeria, and is one of the most economically devastating enteric diseases for the poultry industry worldwide. Host immunity to Eimeria infection, however, is relatively species-specific. The ability to immunize chickens against different species of Eimeria using a single vaccine will have a major beneficial impact on commercial poultry production. In this paper, we describe the molecular cloning, purification, and vaccination efficacy of a novel Eimeria vaccine candidate, elongation factor-1α (EF-1α). One day-old broiler chickens were given two subcutaneous immunizations one week apart with E. coli-expressed E. tenella recombinant (r)EF-1α protein and evaluated for protection against challenge infection with E. tenella or E. maxima. rEF-1α-vaccinated chickens exhibited increased body weight gains, decreased fecal oocyst output, and greater serum anti-EF-1α antibody levels following challenge infection with either E. tenella or E. maxima compared with unimmunized controls. Vaccination with EF-1α may represent a new approach to inducing cross-protective immunity against avian coccidiosis in the field.

Characterization of a broad host-spectrum virulent Salmonella bacteriophage fmb-p1 and its application on duck meat

The aim of this study was to find a virulent bacteriophage for the biocontrol of Salmonella in duck meat. A broad host-spectrum virulent phage, fmb-p1, was isolated and purified from an duck farm, and its host range was determined to include S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, S. Saintpaul, S. Agona, S. Miami, S. Anatum, S. Heidelberg and S. Paratyphi-C. Electron microscopy and genome sequencing showed that fmb-p1 belongs to the family Siphoviridae. The genome of fmb-p1 is composed of a 43,327-bp double-stranded DNA molecule with 60 open reading frames and a total G+C content of 46.09%. There are no deleterious sequences or genes encoding known harmful products in the phage fmb-p1 genome. Phage fmb-p1 was stable under different temperature (40–75°C), pH (4–10) and NaCl solutions (1–11%). The phage treatment (9.9×109 PFU/cm2) caused a peak reduction in S. Typhimurium of 4.52 log CFU/cm2 in ready-to–eat (RTE) duck meat, whereas potassium sorbate treatment (PS, 2mg/cm2) resulted in a 0.05–0.12 log reduction. Compared to PS treatment, there was significant difference in the S. Typhimurium reduction (P˂0.05) by phage treatment at both 4°C and 25°C. The results suggested that phage could be applied to reduce Salmonella, on commercial poultry products.

Study on current status and future trends of commercial poultry production in Pakistan

Study on current status and future trends of commercial poultry production in Pakistan

Population dynamics and antimicrobial resistance of the most prevalent poultry-associated Salmonella serotypes

Salmonella spp. is the most predominant bacterial cause of foodborne gastroenteritis in humans. Due to the risk of human infection associated with poultry products and the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance, Salmonella also poses a significant challenge to commercial poultry production. During the last decade (2002 to 2012), the 12 m ost p revalent p oultry-associated Salmonella serot ypes (MPPSTs) were frequently and consistently isolated from poultry products in the United States. These MPPSTs and their percent prevalence in poultry products include Kentucky (4%), Enteritidis (2%) Heidelberg (2%), Typhimurium (2%), S. I 4,[5],12:i:- (0.31%), Montevideo (0.20%), Infantis (0.16%) Schwarzengrund (0.15%), Hadar (0.15%), Mbandaka (0.13%), Thompson (0.12%), and Senftenberg (0.04%). All MPPSTs except Kentucky are among the top 30 clinically significant serotypes that cause human illnesses in the United States. However with the exception of a few widely studied serotypes such as S. Enteritidis and Typhimurium, the ecology and epidemiology of the majority of MPPSTs still remain poorly investigated. Published data from the United States suggests that MPPSTs such as Heidelberg, Typhimurium, Kentucky, and Sentfenberg are more likely to be multi-drug resistant (MDR, ≥3 antimicobial classes) whereas Enteritidis, Montevideo, Schwarzengrund, Hadar, Infantis, Thompson, and Mbandaka are generally pan-susceptible or display resistance to fewer antimicobials. In contrast, the majority of MPPSTs isolated globally have been reported to display MDR phenotype. There also appears to be an international spread of a few MDR serotypes including Kentucky, Schwarzengrund, Hadar, Thomson, Sentfenberg, and Enteritidis, which may pose significant challenges to the public health. The current knowledge gaps on the ecology, epidemiology, and antimicrobial resistance of MPPSTs are discussed.

Effect of strain and sex of bird on carcass and fat yield of foraging slow-growing chickens

Meat and fat yield influence the profitability of modern commercial poultry production. This study sought to determine the effect of strain and sex on carcass and fat yield of three slow-growing chicken strains reared in open and closed pens. Two hundred and fifty-eight, 20-week old PK, OV and NN chickens, weighing 1710±308.8 g, were allocated to 4 paddocks of Chloris gayana and 4 pens in a poultry house. Final body weight (BW), carcass (CW), dressed (DW) weight, cut, abdominal fat pad (AFP) yield and giblet weights were determined. As a result of this study, strain did not affect BW but influenced back, pancreas, gizzard, neck, crop and AFP weight. Sex of bird influenced BW and males were significantly heavier, yielding heavier cuts and pancreases but lighter AFP than females. It was concluded that foraging males yield heavier cuts and females are fattier than foraging males of the same strain. Evaluating fatty acid composition of meat from foraging birds could help quantify risk associated with consumption of meat from foraging slow-growing chickens.