Morphological Analysis of Breast and Thigh Muscles in Different Postnatal Ages of Broiler Chicken and its Carcass Characteristics

Abstract

The aim of this experiment was to analyze the morphology of muscles and carcass quality Cobb-500 and Ross broiler chicken at different age, where the weight of live bird, carcass, major cut portions, lean and bone were measured. The average highest live weight at D₃₅ was recorded as 1860.18±6.29g in Cobb-500 and 1640.47±7.57g in Ross broiler chicken. The average carcasses weights at D₁, D₇, D₁₄, D₂₁, D₂₈ and D₃₅ were recorded as 14.90 ±0.53g, 27.85±0.30g, 85.31±0.82g, 211.94±4.31g, 618.36 ±0.92g and 1289.05±5.39g for Cobb-500 and in case of Ross strains 12.89±0.41g, 25.83±0.38g, 82.09±0.35g, 210.58±2.66g, 565.55±2.41g and 1133.80±3.51g respectively. Highest dressing percentage was recorded at D₃₅ which was 69.29±0.11g in Cobb-500 and 69.12±0.12g in Ross strains. The length, breadth, thickness and weight of pectoralis thoracis, supracoracoideus, iliotibialis lateralis and iliotibialis cranialis skeletal muscles were higher in Cobb-500 at every studied ages. Finally the experiment focused that Cobb-500 chicken is superior in terms of meat production for its unique skeletal muscle growth and carcass yield.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v12i2.21265

Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2014). 12 (2): 115-120