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. 2021 Apr 11;11(4):1090.
doi: 10.3390/ani11041090.

Performance Evaluation of Two Slow-Medium Growing Chicken Strains Maintained under Organic Production System during Different Seasons

Ainhoa Sarmiento-García  1 , Isabel Revilla  2 , José-Alfonso Abecia  3 , Carlos Palacios  1
Affiliations

Performance Evaluation of Two Slow-Medium Growing Chicken Strains Maintained under Organic Production System during Different Seasons

Ainhoa Sarmiento-García et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

A total of 160 1-day-old medium-growing male chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) were raised for 120 days in a certified organic farming system. A total of two strains were studied (Coloryield, CY; RedBro, RB). Overall, two weather periods were considered based on the outdoor temperature, being S1 colder than S2. In total, 40 chicks per strain were assigned to each period (n = 80). Chickens were fed ad libitum with the same organic feeds. In the first month, chickens were kept indoors and, from day 30, they had access to the pasture. Slaughter live weight (LW), average daily gains, (ADG), the feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality rates did not differ between the two strains. LW was (p < 0.05) higher in the S1 and a trend (p = 0.084) was observed for ADG, which was higher in S1. No differences were found for feed intake, FCR, and mortality rates between weather periods. There were no differences for coefficient of variation (CV) between the strains studied, nevertheless, CV for LW in S2 was increased. Differences in the productive performance between these strains raised in organic production systems were slight. However, chickens raised in S1 had a better performance. It would be preferable to raise chickens in these weather conditions whenever possible.

Keywords: climate; environment; growth; organic chicken; slow-medium line; weather period.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Monthly mortality rates (%M) of the RedBro strain during the two weather periods under study. %M30: Percentage of chickens died in the first month; %M60: Percentage of chickens died in the second month; %M90: Percentage of chickens died in the third month; %M90: Percentage of chickens died in the fourth month; %M120: Percentage of chickens died in the fifth month, %M0–120: Percentage of chickens died in total study period.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Monthly mortality rates (%M) of the Coloryield strain during the two weather periods under study. %M30: Percentage of chickens died in the first month; %M60: Percentage of chickens died in the second month; %M90: Percentage of chickens died in the third month; %M90: Percentage of chickens died in the fourth month; %M120: Percentage of chickens died in the fifth month, %M0–120: Percentage of chickens died in total study period.
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