Effects of outdoor access on growth performance, carcass composition, and meat characteristics of broiler chickens

• Published in: Poultry science 2013-02, Vol.92 (2), p.435-443
• Main Authors: Chen, X, Jiang, W, Tan, H Z, Xu, G F, Zhang, X B, Wei, S, Wang, X Q
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Husbandry - methods; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animals; Chickens - growth & development; Chickens - physiology; China; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated - metabolism; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated - metabolism; Female; Housing, Animal; Meat - standards; Muscle Proteins - metabolism; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Random Allocation
• ISSN: 0032-5791
• DOI: 10.3382/ps.2012-02360

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of outdoor access on the growth performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. Thirty-five-day-old female broilers were divided into 3 groups with 6 replicates of 124 birds each: (1) birds reared indoors (control group); (2) birds reared with outdoor access since 36 d of age (35-d group); and (3) birds reared with outdoor access since 71 d of age (70-d group). The results showed that outdoor access had no effect on growth performance, carcass yield, meat yield, muscle protein content, muscle fiber characteristics, or water-holding capacity (P > 0.05). Chickens from the outdoor access groups had a better appearance and degree of evenness. Birds in the outdoor access groups had a significantly lower lung percentage than birds in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas the kidney percentage of the 35-d group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The meat of chickens in the 35-d group had higher L* values than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with rearing indoors, outdoor access significantly increased the shear force of the breast muscle in both the 35 d and 70-d group (P < 0.05) and decreased the fat content of the thigh muscle in the case of 35-d group (P < 0.05). Birds in the 35-d group also had lower fat content in their thigh muscles than did the birds in the 70-d group (P < 0.05). The thigh muscles of the birds in the 35-d group showed lower levels of MUFA and higher levels of PUFA than those of the control group and 70-d group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, outdoor access had no effect on growth performance and yield traits but could improve the meat quality; birds reared with outdoor access from 36 d of age had better appearance and meat quality than those with outdoor access from 71 d of age.