CARCASS QUALITY OF CHICKENS OF DIFFERENT CONFORMATION

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of conformation of chickens of different genotype on the yield of breast meat. As a typical example of the chickens of very poor conformation pure breed Naked neck chickens were taken, fattened 8 and 10 weeks (groups K8 and K10). As an example of good conformation, an imported hybrid of chickens was taken, known for its broiler qualities and as medium growing hybrid, Red Bro (R). The second experiment included commercial hybrids of fast growth (Ross, Cobb and Hubbard) reared according to all technological standards of intensive fattening until the age of 42 days. The results obtained were contrary to the conclusion obtained a few decades ago, at the beginning of the study the conformation of chicken, by Scots and Darrow (1953), according to which the selection of chickens of heavy type, despite the fact that, to some extent, it had improved meat yield of the breast, did not significantly improve slaughter traits of fattening chickens, confirming that better conformation and higher body weight had a positive impact on improving relative share of breast, i.e. white meat. The results regarding the slaughter traits of chicken genotypes of different conformation suggest that breeding - selection work to improve the conformation of broilers significantly improved slaughter yields and breast meat yield. In this sense, the conformation can be treated as an indicator of the slaughter value of carcasses, rather than an aesthetic category. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR-31033]