CARCASS QUALITY OF NOILER COMPARED TO BROILER AND COCKEREL

Abstract

Rearing of Noiler as meat type chicken is gradually becoming popular in South Western Nigeria. This study compared carcass quality of male and female Noiler chicken with broiler and Isa brown cockerel chicken. Forty-eight (48) each of Noiler male (cockerels), Noiler female (pullets), broilers, and Isa brown cockerels were allotted into four (4) treatments constituting treatment 1 – 4, respectively. There were three (3) replicates per treatment and each replicate contained 16 birds. At eight (8) weeks for broilers and fourteen weeks (14) for Noilers and Isa brown cockerels, two (2) birds per replicate were slaughtered for carcass analysis. The birds were scalded in hot water for about 60 seconds, defeathered and eviscerated. Carcass cut parts were weighed and expressed as percentage of the live weight. The following values were obtained for live and plucked weight for broilers, Noiler male, Noiler female, and Isa brown cockerels; 2577.67 and 2370.00g/bird; 2309.67 and 2095.00g/bird; 2285.00 and 2072.67g/bird; 1224.33 and 1087.67g/bird, respectively. These values were significantly different (P<0.05) across the treatments except Noilers males and females that were similar (P<0.05). Head and neck weight were also significantly affected. Conclusively. broilers weights were the highest, however, proportion of the cut parts to the plucked weight were not significantly affected