Indigenous, Yellow-Feathered Chickens Body Measurements, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality Depending on Marketable Age

SIMPLE SUMMARY: With an increasing trend in chilled chicken sale and consumers’ preference for indigenous chickens in China, commercial, yellow-feathered chickens are confronted with some carcass trait challenges after slaughter, and age is considered to be an important factor in the quality of chickens. Therefore, we compared two marketable ages (90 days and 100 days) on body measurements, slaughter performance, carcass traits, and meat quality in indigenous, yellow-feathered chickens. This current work shows that extending the marketing age to 100 days improves slaughter performance and meat quality in terms of protein and intramuscular fat contents, but shortening the marketing age to 90 days enhances the quality of carcass characteristics such as follicle density and skin color, especially the spotted skin proportions, and improves meat quality traits such as pH and shear force. The results indicated that chickens on day 90 have a better carcass appearance, which is one of the most intuitive references and will alleviate carcass trait problems in the chilled sale of chickens. We concluded that adjusting the marketable age can be an effective method to drive chilled sales and helps producers to satisfy consumers from different regions in indigenous, yellow-feathered chickens. ABSTRACT: Given an increasing trend in slaughter and chilling for the sale of chickens in China, it is important to determine the marketable age of chickens for chilled sales. This study determined the effects of two marketable ages on the body measurements, carcass traits, and meat quality of yellow-feathered chickens. A total of 360 healthy one-day-old male Xueshan chickens were raised in six pens (straw-covered floor, numbered 1 to 6) and treated in the same manner (free access to food and water) until day 100. Sixty chickens from pens numbered 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 were selected to determine the body measurements, carcass traits, and meat quality at two slaughter ages (90 and 100 days), respectively. One hundred-day-old chickens had a higher body slope, cockscomb, keel, shank lengths, and higher live and dressed weights (p < 0.05). The abdomen skin follicle density, a*(redness) and b*(yellowness) values were higher in 100-day-old chickens (p < 0.05), whereas the 90-day-old chickens were characterized by better spotted skin. For the breast muscle, pH, shear force, a*, moisture, and protein and intramuscular fat contents were lower; moreover, L*(lightness) and b* were higher in 90-day-old chickens. In leg muscles, the pH, shear force, L*, b* and collagen content were lower; furthermore, the a* and moisture contents were higher in 90-day-old chickens (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that two marketable ages both have pros and cons, but 90 days chickens perform better on carcass appearance, and producers can adjust the marketable age to meet needs of different consumers. This study provides a unique idea and theoretical reference for breeding and marketing yellow-feathered chickens.