Productive Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Chemical Composition of Meat of Sudanese Native Ducks

Page(s):12 (2), 263-276, 14 Ref.Twenty-four unsexed 7-15 day- old local Sudanese ducklings were allotted to three treatments, each having similar number of birds of approximately similar live weight. The birds were reared in a deep litter house without any access to swimming water, and feed and water were offered ad libitum. The experimental birds were fed on one of three starter diets containing 18%, 20% or 22% crude protein (CP) and 2800 kcal metabolizable energy (ME) / kg, during the first four weeks. During the finishing period (5-12 weeks), all the birds were offered the same finishing mash diet containing 16% CP and 2990 kcal ME/kg. Weekly records were taken for feed consumption and live weight. At the end of the experimental period, four birds from each treatment were fasted, slaughtered and processed for estimating carcass quality parameters. The results revealed that the ducklings offered the starter diet, containing 18% CP and 2800 kcal ME/kg, had a better performance, in terms of body weight, feed conversion ratio and growth rate, throughout the experimental period, than those offered other starter diets. The mean live weight and mean dressed weight percentages were 2396 g and 63.4%, respectively. The percentages of carcass commercial cuts were 29.3% for the back, 26.9% for breast, 15.6% for wings, 12.9% for drumsticks, 18.1% for thighs, 7.1% for ribs and 11.8% for neck. The chemical composition of breast and thigh meat showed values for crude protein, crude fat and ash contents of 88.65% and 88.3%, 7.33% and 8.0%, 4.0% and 3.67%, respectively. It is concluded that (i) the indigenous ducks can be successfully utilized as meat birds without need to a water pond, and (ii) a satisfactory performance can be obtained on starter and finishing diets containing 18% CP and 2800 kcal ME/ kg and 16% CP and 2990 kcal ME/kg, respectively.Khartoum University Pres