Performance and carcass quality of commercial broiler strains

Several broiler strains commonly used in the Middle East were evaluated for performance and carcass quality. In one experiment, the live body weight (LBW) and feed:gain ratio (FC) of three strains were studied at 21 and 49 days of age. The abdominal fat pad (AFP), percentage of AFP, and ready-to-cook (RTC) carcass were evaluated at 49 days of age. In another experiment, RTC carcass protein, moisture, and fat were determined for three other broiler strains. Experiment 1 showed that birds of he Arbor Acres (AA) strain were heavier and had FC values lower than those of the Hybro N (HN) nad Hybro G (HG) birds at 21 and 49 days (P <.05). However, AA strain birds deposited more AFP than those of HN or HG strains. In Experiment 2, percent AFP of Ross (R) males was significantly lower than that of AA males. Although the performance of R, Lohman (L), and AA strains was similar, the R males yielded the highest percent RTC with a significantly higher carcass protein and lower carcass fat than those of AA males.