Phenotypic correlations between feed efficiency, growth, and meat quality of slow-growing chickens

ABSTRACT

1. Korat (KR) chicken is a new meat-type chicken breed established with the purpose of developing Small and Micro Community Enterprise Production. This slow-growing chicken has been recognised for its good texture and flavour, but its low feed efficiency is associated with high cost of production which can hamper the development of local production. This has highlighted the importance of studying the trade-off between feed efficiency and meat quality in KR chicken.

2. This study investigated the phenotypic correlations between feed efficiency, growth performance, and meat quality in KR chicken. Individual body weight and feed intake were recorded weekly for 75 male KR chickens for the calculation of feed conversion ratio (FCR) and residual feed intake (RFI). The growth curve was modelled by Gompertz function and meat quality evaluated at 10 weeks of age, through the measurement of pH (pH_u), water-holding capacity (WHC) and drip loss (DL) in breast and thigh muscle.

3. Faster growth rate at young age appeared favourable, regarding feed efficiency, since a moderate negative correlation was found between FCR and initial growth rate. Chickens with a higher initial growth and maturation rates were characterised by lower water-holding capacity in meat. This was not associated with acidic meat, since a higher speed of growth (especially in the first weeks) was positively associated with final pH in breast meat. Relationships between RFI and meat quality traits appeared to be weak. While better FCR could be achieved by increased initial growth rate, this seemed to negatively impact water-holding capacity of the meat.

4. RFI appeared as an interesting alternative as a compromise between FCR and meat quality.

KEYWORDS:

• Feed efficiency
• growth curve
• meat quality
• Korat Chicken
• slow-growing chicken

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Thailand Research Fund and the Center of Excellence on Technology and Innovation for Korat Chicken Business Development Suranaree University of Technology and by their joint financial support through the Royal Golden Jubilee PhD Program (grant number PHD/0129/2557). Moreover, the first author would like to thank the BOA Unit (INRAE, University of Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France) for valuable discussion on statistical analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the The Royal Golden Jubilee PhD Program [PHD/0129/2557];The Center of Excellence on Technology and Innovation for Korat Chicken Business Development Suranaree University of Technology.