The effect of crossbreeding with different breeds on slaughter and carcass characteristics and meat quality in Leghorn hens

This study reports slaughter and carcass characteristics and meat quality as a result of crossing Leghorn chickens and five different genotypes. The experiment was carried out in the Prof. Dr. Hümeyra Özgen Research and Application Farm in Selcuk University. The material consisted of 20 leghorn crosses (F2) of each genotype reared under the same feeding and care conditions. The animals were slaughtered at 84 d. In this study, the highest value was determined in the Brahma × Leghorn (BL) genotype, followed by the Cornish × Leghorn (CL), Denizli × Leghorn (DL), and Aracuana × Leghorn (AL) genotypes, respectively, according to slaughter weight and hot and cold carcass performance values. The lowest value was calculated in the Leghorn × Leghorn (LL) genotype, as expected. Slaughter, cold, and carcass weights were found to be similar. A difference was found in colour characteristics (L*,a*,b*) of thigh (b), breast (l), and breast (a) meats of F2 groups. A difference was found in the DM and pH values of the genotypes. CL came into prominence when rearing specific genotypes as free-range broilers. In evaluating the parts of the carcass, it was found that two genotypes were superior to other genotypes in terms of thigh, breast, wing, and back weights. New three-unit and four-unit crossbreeding studies have a potential to add new local commercial genotypes to national economies.