Growth Traits and Carcass Characteristics of Kalosi Chicken Selected Based on Residual Feed Intake (RFI) Phenotype

Abstract

The residual feed intake (RFI) in chickens, which is usually calculated during the growth period, is a measure of feed efficiency that does not depend on the level of production. The study aimed to evaluate the growth performance, carcass quality, physical meat characteristics, and sarcomere properties of Kalosi chicken, which were grouped according to high and low Residual Feed Intake (RFI) phenotype. This study used 64Kalosi chickens kept intensively in individual cages. Chicks were reared from 24 to 70 days old. Data on feed consumption and body weight gain were collected every week. The residual feed intake value was calculated based on the average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG) and mid-body weight metabolism regression results. At the end of the study (on the 70 th day), the chicken was then slaughtered to obtain meat samples that would then be analyzed for the carcass quality, including the percentage of carcass and non carcass, sarcomere, and physical characteristics, including the pH value, water holding capacity, meat color, cooking loss and tenderness. The sarcomere, pH value, color, cooking loss, water holding capacity, and tenderness were all the same, and there was no significant difference in the RFI with feed intake or body weight gain in Kalosi chicken based on high and low RFI phenotypes. High RFI has good carcass quality, which lies in the weight of carcass parts, larger meat and high meat percentage with low bone percentage. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the selection based on the residual feed intake phenotype did not produce any difference in the sarcomere and physical quality characteristics of the meat in Kalosi chickens, so RFI traits could be used as one of the selection parameters for Kalosi chickens.