Performance Evaluation of Two Slow-Medium Growing Chicken Strains Maintained under Organic Production System during Different Seasons

[EN] A total of 160 1-day-old medium-growing male chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) were raised for 120 days in a certified organic farming system. A total of two strains were studied (Coloryield, CY; RedBro, RB). Overall, two weather periods were considered based on the outdoor temperature, being S...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sarmiento García, Ainhoa, Revilla Martín, Isabel, Abecia, José Alfonso, Palacios Riocerezo, Carlos
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad de León
Repositorio:BULERIA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de León
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:buleria_____::58d47572c9e68910e203c1946cc9f49b
Acceso en línea:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/4/1090
https://hdl.handle.net/10612/28401
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Producción animal
Veterinaria
Climate
Environment
Growth
Organic chicken
Slow-medium line
Weather period
3109 Ciencias Veterinarias
3104 Producción Animal
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] A total of 160 1-day-old medium-growing male chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) were raised for 120 days in a certified organic farming system. A total of two strains were studied (Coloryield, CY; RedBro, RB). Overall, two weather periods were considered based on the outdoor temperature, being S1 colder than S2. In total, 40 chicks per strain were assigned to each period (n = 80). Chickens were fed ad libitum with the same organic feeds. In the first month, chickens were kept indoors and, from day 30, they had access to the pasture. Slaughter live weight (LW), average daily gains, (ADG), the feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality rates did not differ between the two strains. LW was (p < 0.05) higher in the S1 and a trend (p = 0.084) was observed for ADG, which was higher in S1. No differences were found for feed intake, FCR, and mortality rates between weather periods. There were no differences for coefficient of variation (CV) between the strains studied, nevertheless, CV for LW in S2 was increased. Differences in the productive performance between these strains raised in organic production systems were slight. However, chickens raised in S1 had a better performance. It would be preferable to raise chickens in these weather conditions whenever possible