Carcass composition and meat characteristics of Pekin ducks in relation to age at slaughter and level of maize distiller’s dried grains with solubles in diets
Journal Title: Journal of Animal and Feed Sciences - Year 2012, Vol 21, Issue 1
Abstract
The effect of the level of maize distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in diets for ducks and duration of the fattening period on feed efficiency, body weight, carcass and meat quality was studied. One hundred and sixty commercial Pekin ducklings were divided randomly into four groups (four replicates, each). From 1 to 21 days of age all birds received the same commercial feed, then from day 22 to 56 the ducks were fed with a diet containing one of four levels of DDGS (%): 0 (control), 15, 25 or 30. All ducks were weighed individually at 1, 21, 49 and 56 days of age and feed intake and feed efficiency were calculated. At 49 and 56 days of rearing, 10 birds with body weights close to the average weight for the group were chosen from each group, slaughtered and the following parameters were evaluated: weight of eviscerated carcass with neck, neck without skin, wings with skin, breast and leg muscle, edible giblets (heart, liver, gizzard), skin with subcutaneous fat, abdominal fat, remainder of carcass, as well as the physical and chemical characteristics of breast meat. Inclusion of maize DDGS in amounts up to 25% in the diet of ducks from day 22 of rearing had no adverse effect on the variables studied, regardless of age at slaughter. Moreover, it allowed decreasing the soyabean meal and wheat contents from 18.0 and 41.6% in the control feed to 10.0 and 24.1% in the 25% DDGS feed, respectively.
Authors and Affiliations
A. Kowalczyk, E. Łukaszewicz, M. Adamski, J. Kuźniacka
Keywords
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