Gunnarsson, Stefan
- Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Consumers' interest in animal welfare-friendly systems with outdoor access is growing and therefore the necessity has arisen for genotypes suitable for free-range systems. This study aimed to investigate the suitability of two slow-growing broiler genotypes by comparing growth performance, pasture usage, carcass yield and breast meat traits. Two slow growing genotypes Hubbard ISA Red JA-57 (n= 240) and Sasso XL44 x SA51A (n= 240), were raised in free-range system for 63 days, and their suitability was assessed. Body weight, feed consumption and feed conversion rate were weekly determined. To assess the pasture usage (interior, buffer and outer zones), the observations were performed twice a day. The total of 60 birds (n: 30 broilers/genotype) were randomly sampled for slaughter process at 63rd day of age, and subsequently breast muscle samples were processed for the physical quality and chemical composition parameters of the meat. At 63 days of age, the final body weight was found to be 2918.0 g and 3253.6 g in Hubbard and Sasso birds respectively (P
Keywords
slow-growing broiler; free range; genotype, pasturing; breast yield
Published in
Animal Science Papers and Reports
2024, volume: 42, number: 2, pages: 155-172
Publisher: Polish Acad Sciences, Inst Genetics and Animal Biotechnology
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Animal and Dairy Science
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aspr-2023-0028
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/131201