Effect of broiler breeder strain and hatching eggs pre-incubation storage length on Broilers’ Carcass Traits

A total of 720 one day old chicks of three different commercial broiler strains (Isa, Ross and Arbor Acres), were obtained from hatching eggs stored for 0, 7 and 14 days under 70–80% relative humidity and 16–18 °C. Eighty chicks of each strain and storage period were used in the study. Chicks of each storage period were randomly divided into 4 replicates of 20 chicks in each of equal group weight and randomly allotted to 1 m × 1.5 m pens located in an environmentally controlled house. Birds were fed a starter diet to 3 weeks, followed by finisher diet to 5 weeks of age, which contain 21.5% and 18.5% crude protein and 2950 and 3100 kcal/kg metabolizable energy, respectively. At 5 weeks of age, 3 males and 3 females were randomly selected from each replicate, individually weighed and were slaughtered after they have been fasted for 12 h. Measurements were made of bird plant weight, carcass weight and its percentage of plant weight, abdominal fat weight, heart, liver and gizzard weights and their percentages of plant and carcass weight. The results of study reported herein revealed that strain and storage period of hatching eggs had a pronounced effect upon most studied traits. The results also showed that broilers of Arbor Acres and those of hatching eggs stored for seven days or less had in general the best carcass traits. Keywords: Breeder strain, Hatching eggs, Storage period, Broiler, Carcass trait