Effects of genotype and protease enzyme supplementation on the primal carcass cuts of chickens

Abstract

This study compared weight and percent yields of primal carcass cuts of commercial fast-growing broiler - Cobb 500 and medium-growing broiler genotype - Master Gris. Three hundred Cobb 500 chickens and three hundred Master Gris chickens were used for the experiment. Feed and water were provided ad-libitum. Treatments were: T1 - corn-soybean meal based control diet; T2 − 4.0% crude protein than in the control diet + 0.2% protease and T3: T1 − 6.0% crude protein than in the control diet + 0.3% protease. Chickens were slaughtered at 49 days of age. Medium-growing hybrid had a lower weight of all primal carcass cuts and breast yield (as a percentage of ready-to-grill carcass weight), as well as higher thighs, drumsticks, wings and pelvis yields in comparison with the Cobb 500 broilers (P<0.05), except back yield (P>0.05). Also, the addition of protease to broiler feed had no significant effect on the weight and percent yields of primal carcass cuts (P>0.05).