Age-related Changes in the Percentage Content of Edible and Non-edible Components in Broiler Chickens
2011
Murawska, Daria | Kleczek, Katarzyna | Wawro, Kazimierz | Michalik, Danuta
The objective of this study was to determine age-related changes in the percentage content of edible and non-edible components in broiler chickens. The experimental materials comprised 240 Ross 308 chicks (sex ratio 1:1) raised to 10 weeks of age and fed standard diets ad libitum. Starting from the first week of rearing, every 7 days 10 males and 10 females were selected randomly for slaughter and post-slaughter analysis. The data obtained were verified statistically. The percentage content of edible components increased and the percentage content of non-edible parts decreased as the chicks grew older. In broilers aged 1 week and 10 weeks, edible components accounted for 47.0% and 66.4% total body weight, respectively. The share of muscle tissue increased considerably over this period, from 30.9% total body weight in week 1 to 52.4% in week 10. An increase in the percentage of skin and subcutaneous fat was observed for the first three weeks only, while the percentage content of giblets (in contrast to the remaining edible parts) decreased with age. For non-edible parts, the share of bones diminished by 2.5% and the proportion of slaughter offal reduced by 13.8%. A rising tendency was noted with respect to feathers and abdominal fat, while the content of the remaining offal decreased.
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