Abstract: The experiment was conducted to study the effect of
rearing systems on fatty acid composition and cholesterol content of
Thai indigenous chicken meat. Three hundred and sixty chicks were
allocated to 2 different rearing systems: conventional, housing in an
indoor pen (5 birds/m2); free-range, housing in an indoor pen (5
birds/m2) with access to a grass paddock (1 bird/m2) from 8 wk of age
until slaughter. All birds were provided with the same diet during the
experimental period. At 16 wk of age, 24 birds per group were
slaughtered to evaluate the fatty acid composition and cholesterol
content of breast and thigh meat. The results showed that the
proportion of SFA, MUFA and PUFA in breast and thigh meat were
not different among groups (P>0.05). However, the proportion of n-3
fatty acids was higher and the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids was lower
in free-range system than in conventional system (P0.05). The data indicated that the free-range system
could increase the proportion of n-3 fatty acids, but no effect on
cholesterol content in Thai indigenous chicken meat.
Abstract: An experiment was conducted to determine the effect
of the rearing system on growth performance, carcass yield,
hematological parameters, and feather pecking damage of Thai
indigenous chickens. Three hundred and sixty 1-d-old chicks were
randomly assigned to 2 treatments: indoor treatment and outdoor
access treatment. In the indoor treatment, the chickens were housed
in floor pens (5 birds/m2). In the outdoor access treatment, the
chickens were housed in a similar indoor house; in addition, they also
had an outdoor grass paddock (1 bird/m2). All birds were provided
with same diet and were raised for 16 wk of age. The results showed
that growth performance and carcass yield were not different among
treatment (P>0.05). Outdoor access had no effect on hematological
parameters (P>0.05). However, the feather pecking damage of the
chickens in the outdoor access treatment was lower than that of the
chickens in the indoor treatment (P