Changes in growth performance and body and carcass composition of common pheasants following three generations of selection for higher 7-week bodyweight

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of selection of common pheasants for a higher 7-week bodyweight (BW) over three generations on growth performance and composition of body and carcass under intensive rearing. A total of 160 chicks of the selected (S) and the control (C) lines (n = 80, respectively), were used in the experiment. At the end of the experiment (100 days), pheasants of the S line achieved an increase of 9.2% in the average BW compared with those of the C line. The feed conversion ratio over the 100-day period was 5.92 and 5.51 g/g in the S and C lines, respectively. After slaughter, pheasants of the S line showed significantly higher weights of the carcass, legs, skinless legs, neck, heart and liver than those of the C line. The direct positive selection for the 7-week BW in pheasants resulted in significant decreases in carcass dressing-out percentages and the proportion of breast muscle, legs, skinless legs and leg muscles to pre-slaughter BW; only a relative proportion of the heart was higher in the S line than that in the C line (P < 0.01).