REARING SYSTEMS AND SEX EFFECT ON CARCASS TRAITS OF FULANI ECOTYPE CHICKENS IN SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

The study was conducted at the Federal University of Technology Akure, Teaching and Research Farm to study the effect of sex and rearing system on carcass traits of 36 Fulani Ecotype chickens raised for 26 weeks in a 2x2 factorial experiment. The values for live weight, slaughtered weight, carcass weight, breast weight, shank weight, thigh weight and drumstick weight of each chicken were taken and recorded using an electronic scale. The effects of sex and rearing system on body weights and the cut parts were estimated from the least-squares procedures of SAS 2008 version 13. Where significant differences were observed, the differences among means were tested using Duncan's multiple Range procedures of the same statistical package. The result showed that live weight and various carcass traits of male Fulani Ecotype chickens were significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of the female Fulani Ecotype chickens in both systems of rearing. Some cut-parts like the drumstick weight, shank weight, carcass weight and breast weight of the deep-litter female Fulani Ecotype chickens were slightly greater than those of the caged female Fulani Ecotype chickens while the thigh weight of the caged female Fulani Ecotype chickens was slightly higher than those under deep litter system. This trend was observed in the carcass traits of the male Fulani Ecotype chickens in both rearing systems. The study concludes that rearing system affects the carcass quality and yield of the Fulani Ecotype chickens and therefore recommends that intense research on these birds and their growth performance characteristics under the two rearing systems for large scale meat production be carried out.