Abdominal and carcass fat in five broiler strains

Abstract

Ten males and 10 females from each of five commercial broiler strains were weighed and slaughtered at 55 days of age. Over all, mean live body weight was 2112 g for males and 1702 g for females and abdominal fat was 2.9% (males) and 3.3% (females). Mean total fat in whole bird was 13.4% (males) and 15.1% (females). There were no statistically significant differences between strains at the 5% level. Correlation coefficients with percent abdominal fat were .29 for body weight (males) and .36 (females), for percent carcass fat .51 (males) and .77 (females), and for fat free carcass .26 (males) and .07 (females). Abdominal fat represented 22% of the total fat for males and females. The results obtained were similar to those found previously in this laboratory with one strain of broilers.