A Comparative Evaluation of Carcass Characteristics and Meat Yield Performance of Cari-debendra and Cari-nirbheek Chickens under the Agro-climatic Conditions of Eastern Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh, India
Khushboo Yadav
Department of Livestock Production Management, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya- 224229, Uttar Pradesh, India.
P. S. Pramanik
Department of Livestock Production Management, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya- 224229, Uttar Pradesh, India.
S. S. Kashyap
Department of Livestock Production Management, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya- 224229, Uttar Pradesh, India.
A. K. Verma
Department of Livestock Farm Complex, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya- 224229, Uttar Pradesh, India.
M. K. Verma
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya- 224229, Uttar Pradesh, India.
K. D. Singh
Department of Livestock Farm Complex, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya- 224229, Uttar Pradesh, India.
R. K. Verma *
Department of Livestock Production Management, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya- 224229, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Ankit Jaiswal
Department of Livestock Production Management, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya- 224229, Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The present study evaluated the carcass characteristics and meat yield performance of CARI-Debendra and CARI-Nirbheek chickens up to 20 weeks of age under the agro-climatic conditions of the eastern plain zone of Uttar Pradesh. The study was conducted at the Livestock Farm Complex, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya. At 20 weeks of age, fifteen birds from each of Cari-Nirbheek and Cari-Debendra were selected for evaluation of carcass quality traits. The birds were processed using standard slaughtering, bleeding, scalding, and defeathering procedures. The results showed that CARI-Debendra had a significantly higher (p<0.001) pre-slaughter live weight (2064.63±29.39 g) and dressing percentage (75.92±0.13%) than CARI-Nirbheek (1604.40±18.48 g and 74.16±0.18%, respectively). CARI-Debendra also had a significantly higher breast yield (18.83±0.26%) than CARI-Nirbheek (17.00±0.27%), and the giblet percentage was significantly higher in CARI-Debendra (5.42±0.16%) than in CARI-Nirbheek (4.66±0.05%). Heart weight and abdominal fat percentage were significantly higher (p<0.001) in CARI-Debendra (0.55±0.01% and 0.70±0.02%, respectively). Conversely, CARI-Nirbheek showed significantly higher wing (9.49±0.04%), back-and-neck (16.38±0.20%), liver (1.81±0.01%), and gizzard (1.81±0.01%) yields, reflecting its lean native Aseel ancestry. No significant differences were observed in mean blood loss, leg yield, or bursa weight between the two varieties. Overall, CARI-Debendra was superior in live weight, dressing percentage, and breast meat production, whereas CARI-Nirbheek showed higher relative wing, back-and-neck, liver, and gizzard yields under the present experimental conditions.
Keywords: CARI-Debendra, CARI-Nirbheek, carcass characteristics, meat yield, dressing percentage, breast yield, giblet yield, abdominal fat, backyard poultry, agro-climatic adaptation