Growth, carcass, and meat quality of 2 dual-purpose chickens and a layer hybrid grown for 67 or 84 D compared with slow-growing broilers

To avoid chick culling, meat production can be carried out with either dual-purpose hybrids, where both genders are used, or layer males. However, comparative in-depth studies are lacking. The growth and slaughter performance and the meat quality of 2 commercial dual-purpose hybrids (Lohmann Dual, LD; Novogen Dual, ND) and a layer hybrid (Lohmann Brown, LB) were compared with slow-growing broilers (Hubbard S757, HU), as used for organic production. The growth periods tested were 67, 84, and 126 D (the LB only). A total of 1,350 birds per hybrid were kept in 5 compartments of 20 m(2). In a subsample, the carcass and meat quality were analyzed. The average daily gains and feed intake were quite similar in the ND, LD, and HU and were lower in the LB. Across 67 D, the FCR (kg feed/kg gain) of the HU was 2.62 compared with 2.81 and 2.83 in the ND and LD, respectively. The FCR of the LB was much lower (3.61). The breast angle, an indicator of the keel bone's prominence, was largest in the HU, similar to that of the ND and the LD, and smallest in the LB. The breast meat proportions were always larger in the HU than in the ND and the LD at 21, 18, and 17%, respectively, and smallest in the LB (15%). The breast meat from the dual-purpose hybrids was similar, or slightly superior, to the HU in water-holding capacity and shear force and slightly inferior in intramuscular fat content. The LB meat did not differ much from that of the other hybrids. Growth for 126 D improved the carcass quality in the LB. In conclusion, both dualpurpose hybrids were competitive with slow-growing broilers, whereas this was not the case for the layer cockerels.