Growth and Carcass Traits of Three Portuguese Autochthonous Chicken Breeds: Amarela, Preta Lusitânica and Pedrês Portuguesa

Figures & data

Figure 1. Growth curve and growth rate for the Amarela breed for males (A) and females (B). Real weight (×××), Gompertz curve (--), growth rate (––––).

Figure 2. Growth curve and growth rate for the Preta Lusitânica breed for males (A) and females (B). Real weight (×××), Gompertz curve (--), growth rate (––––).

Figure 3. Growth curve and growth rate for the Pedrês Portuguesa breed for males (A) and females (B). Real weight (×××), Gompertz curve (--), growth rate (––––).

Table 1. Number of birds per breed, lot and sex at the beginning and end of the study.

Breed+lot	Initial number		Final number		Study period
	Female	Male	Female	Male
AM1	13	2	10	1	Nov 2008 to Apr 2011
AM2	29	27	23	5	Jul 2009 to Dec 2011
PL1	8	9	8	1	Set 2008 to Mar 2011
PL2	21	9	17	4	Jul 2009 to Dec 2011
PP1	10	17	8	2	May 2010 to Aug 2012
PP2	22	31	15	3	Mar 2011 to Jul 2013

AM1, Amarela, 1^st lot; AM2, Amarela, 2^nd lot; PL1, Preta Lusitânica, 1^st lot; PL2, Preta Lusitânica, 2^nd lot; PP1, Pedrês Portuguesa, 1^st lot; PP2, Pedrês Portuguesa, 2^nd lot.

Table 2. Gompertz growth function parameter estimates, maximum growth rate, and body weight estimates per breed and sex.

Paramaters	AM		PL		PP
	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
A, g	2851.3	1951.6	3047.5	2147.8	3243.7	2344.0
(13.90)	(13.84)	(14.01)	(13.94)	(14.12)	(14.05)
B, g/day/g body weight	0.0216	0.0253	0.0184	0.0221	0.0152	0.0189
(0.0004)	(0.0004)	(0.0002)	(0.0003)	(0.0002)	(0.0003)
C, days	76.7	69.0	79.3	71.6	81.9	74.2
(1.13)	(1.08)	(0.58)	(0.55)	(0.75)	(0.78)
MGR, g/day	22.7	18.1	22.6	17.5	18.1	16.3
BWC^ab, g	1048.9	718.0	1121.1	790.1	1193.3	862.3
(25.33)	(19.99)	(11.37)	(10.22)	(13.11)	(13.03)
BW365^ab, g	2845.7	1950.5	3031.8	2155.5	3200.4	2334.4
(13.76)	(13.83)	(13.60)	(13.89)	(13.06)	(13.89)

AM, Amarela breed; PL, Preta Lusitânica breed; PP, Pedrês Portuguesa breed; A, adult body weight; B, relative growth rate at the inflexion point; C, age when the growth rate is maximum; MGR, maximum daily growth rate; BW_C=body weight at time C; BW₃₆₅=body weight at 365 days. Values in parentheses represent the standard error of mean. ^aDifferences between sexes within breed all significant at P<0.001; ^bdifferences between breeds within sex all significant at P<0.001.

Table 3. Least square means±standard error of mean for weights on carcass traits, edible viscera, breast and thigh+drumstick for males of Amarela, Preta Lusitânica and Pedrês Portuguesa autochthonous chicken breeds.

Traits, g	AM	PL	PP
LW	2713.8±121.33	2718.9±114.39	2833.0±108.52
CW1	2467.5±114.64	2460.0± 108.08	2609.0±102.54
CW2	2083.8±91.84	2086.7±86.59	2284.0±82.14
CW3	1866.2±88.19	1779.9±83.15	2006.0±78.88
CW4	2197.7±95.15	2203.1±89.71	2400.2±85.11
EW	113.9±5.04	116.4±4.75	116.2±4.51
B1	365.3^a±30.66	492.6^b±28.90	521.2^b±27.42
B2	336.5^a±26.11	451.1^b±24.62	446.7^b±23.36
B3	293.6^a±19.97	365.8^b± 18.83	372.1^b±17.86
T1	619.4^a±32.51	638.0^a±30.65	728.7^b±29.07
T2	548.6^a±29.59	572.4^a±27.90	655.3^b±26.47
T3	449.9^ab±26.95	446.3^a±25.41	521.5^b±24.10

AM, Amarela breed; PL, Preta Lusitânica breed; PP, Pedrês Portuguesa breed; LW, live weight at slaughter age of 240 days; CW1, bled and plucked carcass weight; CW2, eviscerated carcass, with head and feet weight; CW3, eviscerated carcass, without head and feet weight; CW4, eviscerated carcass with head, feet and edible viscera weight; EW, edible viscera weight (gizzard, heart, liver and kidneys); B1, breast, with skin and bone weight; B2, breast, without skin weight; B3, breast, without skin and bone weight; T1, thigh+drumstick with skin and bone weight; T2, thigh+drumstick without skin and with bone weight; T3, thigh+drumstick without skin and bone weight.

^a,bDifferent letters in the same row indicate significant differences (P<0.05).

Table 4. Least square means±standard error of mean for yields on carcass traits, edible viscera, breast and thigh+drumstick for males of Amarela, Preta Lusitânica and Pedrês Portuguesa autochthonous chicken breeds.

Trait, %	AM	PL	PP
CY1	90.83^ab±0.58	90.45^a±0.55	92.08^b±0.52
CY2	76.80^a±0.81	76.80^a±0.76	80.70^b±0.72
CY3	68.73^b±1.10	65.38^a±1.04	70.86^b±0.99
CY4	81.04^a±0.79	81.11^a±0.74	84.79^b±070
EY	4.24±0.14	4.31±0.13	4.09±0.12
BY1	17.55^a±0.98	23.46^b±0.92	22.81^b±0.88
BY2	16.14^a±0.82	21.50^b±0.77	19.57^b±0.72
BY3	14.09^a±0.57	17.41^b±0.54	16.32b±0.51
TY1	29.73^a±0.59	30.56^ab±0.56	31.83^b±0.53
TY2	26.32^a±0.58	27.44^ab±0.54	28.61^b±0.52
TY3	21.58±0.73	21.39±0.68	22.75±0.65

AM, Amarela breed; PL, Preta Lusitânica breed; PP, Pedrês Portuguesa breed; CY1, bled and plucked carcass yield; CY2, eviscerated carcass yield, with head and feet; CY3, eviscerated carcass yield, without head and feet; CY4, eviscerated carcass yield, with head, feet and edible viscera; EY, edible viscera yield (gizzard, heart, liver and kidneys); BY1, breast yield, with skin and bone; BY2, breast yield, without skin; BY3, breast yield, without skin and bone; TY1, thigh+drumstick yield, with skin and bone; TY2, thigh+drumstick yield, without skin; TY3, thigh+drumstick yield, without skin and bone.

^a,bDifferent letters in the same row indicate significant differences (P<0.05).