A comparison of growth and development patterns in diverse genotypes of broilers. 2. Pullet growth

Genetic selection within commercial broiler lines continues to generate improvements in BW, feed conversion, and breast meat yield. The objective of the current experiment was to compare carcass and reproductive characteristics of broiler breeder pullets from 2 dam lines that produce heavy broilers with increased breast yield (A and B) with pullets from a commercial line that does not have the extremes in breast yield (C). Restricted-fed BW were similar at all ages of the experiment in the 3 genotypes. All pullets were photostimulated at 23 wk of age, and carcass and reproductive tract measurements were made at 27 wk of age. There were no differences in BW among the lines at 27 wk of age, but the weights of the pectoralis major and minor breast muscles were heavier in lines A and B compared with line C (P < 0.001). The weight of the abdominal fad pad, however, was heavier in line C (P < 0.04). There was no difference in total drum weight or total thigh weight among lines A, B, or C. Tibia length and tibia width were similar in lines A and C, and the measurements were larger in these lines than in line B (P < 0.02). Femur length was longer (P < 0.001) in line C than in lines A and B, whereas femur width was greater in line C than in line A (P < 0.001) but similar to line B (P < 0.001). Oviduct weight was greater in line C compared with lines A and B (P < 0.004), but there were no differences in total ovarian weight, follicle number, or follicle weight. The information gathered in the present experiment suggested that line C may prove to be useful for reproductive comparisons with commercial lines exhibiting significant differences in carcass traits.