The relationship among pre and post slaughter traits of American Bronze Turkey

Abstract

Abstract. This study aimed to investigate the relations among the pre- and post-slaughter traits of American bronze turkeys. Birds were raised under three different lighting regimes. Pre-slaughter traits were measured when the birds were 15-, 20-, and 30-weeks of age. Canonical correlation analysis showed that as the birds aged the relations among the pre- and post-slaughter characters became more pronounced. Coefficients of determination (R2) were 63.6-82.8% when pre-slaughter characteristics were measured at the 15th week, 84.8–94.6% at the 20th week, and 91.3–99.1% at the 30th week, respectively.