LAUSR

Meat and fat yield influence the profitability of modern commercial poultry production. This study investigated the effect of strain, sex and rearing system on carcass and fat yields of 3 slow-growing chicken strains. Two hundred and eighty-eight Potchefstroom Koekoek, Ovambo and Naked Neck chickens, weighing 1710 ± 308.8 g, were allocated to 4 free-range pens and 4 housed pens. Body (BW), carcass (CW), dressed (DW), cut, giblet, fat pad (AFP) weights were determined after 4 weeks. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted in SAS. Strain influenced (P less than 0.05) thigh, neck and giblet weight. Males were heavier (P less than 0.05), yielding heavier cuts and pancreases but lighter AFP than females. Ovambos yielded the heaviest portions among the 3 strains. Free-range birds experienced crop, gizzard hypertrophy and pancreatic atrophy. Further research could focus on fatty acid composition of meat from free-range systems to establish potential implications on heart-related health conditions.