Does feed restriction and pasture affect carcass composition and meat quality of fast-growing chickens?

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of feeding regime (FR) and the combination of FR with pasture on the carcass composition and meat quality parameters of fast-growing chickens. Ross 308 chickens were split into three groups: Group 1 was fed ad libitum, and Groups 2 and 3 had a restricted diet. The chickens were feed-restricted at a rate of 70% ad libitum from 8 to 14 days of age. In Group 3, after restriction at the age of 21 days, chickens were kept on a pasture until the end of the experiment at 35 days of age. The chickens were fed ad libitum prior to and following restriction. Feed restriction and the combination of feed restriction and pasture significantly reduced final body weight, but the dressing out percentage was not affected. The breast percentage was the highest (P = 0.005) in the ad libitum group (30.5%), followed by the restricted group (28.2%) and the lowest in the group with a combination of feed restriction and pasture (27.4%). Breast pH and colour measured 24 h post mortem were not affected, whereas texture expressed as Fmax was the lowest in the group with the combination of feed restriction and pasture (P = 0.05). There was no effect of the group on meat dry matter, crude protein, cholesterol, and fatty acid content, but ether extract was the highest, and significantly so, in the ad libitum-fed group. In summary, feed restriction and the combination of feed restriction and pasture negatively affected final body weight and breast and abdominal fat percentages, which might be related to a short realimentation period for compensatory growth. However, these conditions negligibly affected carcass composition and the physical and chemical parameters of the meat.