The aim of the study was to determine body weight and dimensions, body conformation, length of the esophagus, length of intestine and its segments, as well as weight of internal organs and their proportions relative the body weight of broiler chickens from three commercial lines -Ross 308, Hubbard Flex and Hubbard F15. At the age of 42 days, Ross 308 chickens had significantly (p≤0.05) shorter trunk, but greater chest circumference and compactness index, as well as shorter esophagus and longer large intestine compared with Hubbard F15. The longest large and total intestine was found in Ross 308 broilers. Chicken genotype had no significant effect on the percentage of the main internal organs, i.e. liver, heart, proventriculus, gizzard, and spleen. In the analyzed broilers, the coefficients of correlation between body weight and dimensions and the length of the esophagus, small intestine, caeca and large intestine were low and not significant. This study provides information relevant to breeding practice, including that the development of internal organs in broiler chickens raised under intensive conditions has an effect on their meat characteristics.

Assessment of the effect of "-galactosides injected during embryogenesis on selected chicken traits. Folia biol. (Kraków) 53: 13-20. The effect of different doses of "-galactoside (RFOs) preparations from Pisum sativum L. cv. Opal, injected into eggs during embryogenesis, on maintaining a high number of bifidobacteria, selected chicken broiler traits and the lipoprotein level of blood were studied. Two independent experiments were conducted. In the first, Ringer water solution containing 1.763 mg/egg of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) (I group), 2.1158 mg of pea RFO preparation containing 20% sucrose (II group) and 0.4232 mg of sucrose (III group) were injected into Hubbard broiler breeder eggs containing 12-day old embryos. Only Ringer water solution was applied to the eggs of the control group (IV group). The number of bifidobacteria determined in faeces of two-day old chicken of groups I and II was significantly higher in comparison with the sucrose and control groups. The high level of bifidobacteria of groups I and II was maintained during 6 weeks. The dose of both preparations had no influence on the body weight, carcass, breast muscle, leg and abdominal fat ratio, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL serum concentrations. Broiler mortality and breast muscle cholesterol concentration was highest (P<0.05) for the control group. On the other hand, the European Production Index, as well as serum triglycerides, were the lowest for this group. The second experiment was performed on Hybro G chicken breeder eggs. 0.69, 3.43 and 6.87 mg/egg of pea RFO preparation doses containing 20% sucrose were injected into the experimental groups. The number of bifidobacteria in the caecum and selected meat traits of broilers were determined. The results of this experiment confirmed that RFO injection in ovo causes the long-time maintenance of a high level of bifidobacteria. The dose of the preparations does not have any effect on the selected broiler meat traits, except that the highest dose increases the percent of carcase in body weight. However, this dose reduced the hatchability of the treated embryos.

Pheasant eggs evaluated in the first period of egg-laying did not differ significantly in their weight and shape index and the values of both traits were, respectively, 30.7 to 32.2 g and 76.1 to 78.1%. Over the laying season the thickness of the shell decreased and its capacity for deformation and crush strength were greatest at the end of the laying season. The share of yolk in the egg was highest at the beginning of the laying season (35.3%), however over the peak of egg-laying and its final period the content of the albumen in the egg and the quality of eggs, expressed in Haugh units, increased. The best egg fertility and the results of chick hatch were observed from eggs collected at the beginning of the laying season (respectively, 92.5 and 81.6%) and about the fifth week of production (respectively, 94.4% and 73.9%). Chicks hatched from eggs collected at the early laying season were heaviest (21.5 g) and showed the highest share in egg weight (66.8%).

The effects of age and sex of guinea fowl on their dressing percentage, carcass composition, pH value, water holding capacity, colour and sensory properties of meat was determined. At 16 weeks of age, males and females had significantly higher body weights and carcass weights compared to birds at 13 weeks of age. The carcasses of older birds contained more breast muscles, leg muscles and skin with subcutaneous fat, and less wings, with a significant difference for males. At both evaluation times, males compared to females had lower body weight, carcass weight, dressing percentage, content of breast muscles and abdominal fat, and a higher proportion of leg muscles. Older birds had significantly lower redness (a*) values for breast muscles in males and for leg muscles in females.KEYWORDS: guinea fowl, slaughter value, colour of meat, sensory property STRESZCZENIE Określono wpływ wieku i płci perlic na ich wydajność rzeźną i skład tuszki oraz wartość pH, wodochłonność, barwę i właściwości sensoryczne mięsa. Samce i samice w wieku 16 tygodni miały istotnie większą masę ciała i masę tuszki niż ptaki w wieku 13 tygodni. Tuszki starszych ptaków zawierały więcej mięśni piersiowych i nóg oraz skóry z tłuszczem podskórnym, a mniej skrzydeł, u samców istotnie. Samce, w porównaniu z samicami miały mniejszą masę ciała, masę tuszki, wydajność rzeźną, zawartość mięśni piersiowych i tłuszczu sadełkowego, a większy udział mięśni nóg. U starszych ptaków stwierdzono statystycznie istotnie mniejsze wartości a* mięśni piersiowych u samców, a w przypadku mięśni nóg u samic.SŁOWA KLUCZOWE: perlica, wartość rzeźna, barwa mięsa, właściwości sensoryczne DETAILED ABSTRACTOcenie podano 60 perlic perłowoszarych. Ptaki utrzymywano na głębokiej ściółce w budynku zamkniętym o regulowanych parametrach środowiska, bez dostępu do wybiegu. W pierwszych czterech tygodniach stosowano promienniki podczerwieni. Odpowiednią wymianę i ruch powietrza umożliwiła wentylacja mechaniczna. W pomieszczeniu z perlicami stosowano światło żarowe. Ptaki utrzymywano w dwóch kojcach, każdy o powierzchni 12 m 2 , po 30 sztuk w jednym kojcu. Perlice karmiono ad libitum przemysłowymi mieszankami dla indyków. Do 3. tygodnia życia włącznie ptakom podawano mieszankę paszową zawierającą 24,5% białka ogólnego i 12,15 MJ (2900 kcal) energii metabolicznej, od 4. do 8. tygodnia mieszankę zawierającą 22,6% białka i 12,35 (2950 kcal) EM, a od 9. tygodnia do końca badań mieszankę z udziałem 20,7% białka i 12,55 MJ (3000 kcal) EM. W 13. i 16. tygodniu wychowu wybrano po 10 perlic do uboju. Po uboju oznaczono pH 15 mięśni, wykonano rozbiór tuszki, pobrano próby mięśni piersiowych i nóg do oznaczeń właściwości fizykochemicznych i sensorycznych. Ptaki 16-tygodniowe miały istotnie większą masę ciała i masę tuszki. Obliczona wydajność rzeźna była większa u ptaków młodszych (w wieku 13 tygodni) oraz u samic w porównaniu z samcami. Wraz z wiekiem stwierdzono zwiększenie zawartości (%) mięśni piersiowych, mięśni nóg i skóry z tłuszczem podskórnym, a zmniejszenie udziału skrzydeł ...