Comparative Study on the Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Da-Heng Broilers at Different Ages

PurposeTo study the effects of slaughter age on the growth performance and meat quality of Da-Heng broilers, as well as to explore the correlation between these traits, which may provide reference for the production of high-quality broilers.

MethodA total of 200 one-day-old female Da-Heng broilers were selected and slaughtered at seven ages of 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 240 and 300 days, respectively. The live weight, breast muscle weight and abdominal fat weight were recorded. The size, pH value, meat color, drip loss, cooking loss and shear force of breast muscle were measured. The correlation between growth performance and meat quality was analyzed.

ResultThe live weight, breast muscle weight, abdominal fat weight and breast muscle size of Da-Heng broilers increased gradually with the increase of age. The daily gain reached the maximum on the 60th to 90th day, the growth rate of breast muscle weight increased significantly on the 60th to 90th day (P<0.05), and the growth rate of abdominal fat weight increased significantly on the 90th to 120th day (P<0.05). The pH value and shear force of breast muscle gradually increased with age, but the drip loss and cooking loss decreased as a whole. In addition, the color of meat became darker and redder with the increase of age. Partial correlation analysis showed that there was an extremely significant positive correlation between shear force and pH₁ (P<0.01), and an extremely significant negative correlation between drip loss and pH₂ (P<0.01).

ConclusionConsidering the breeding cost, growth performance and meat quality, the best slaughter age of Da-Heng broiler was about 90 days.