Estimation of the composition of broiler carcasses from their specific gravity

An experiment was conducted to quantify the relationships between broiler carcass specific gravity and chemical composition (percentage moisture, percentage lipid, percentage protein). Carcasses of widely varying compositions were produced by feeding several dietary protein and energy combinations (52 to 64% moisture, 0.6 to 2.5% ash, 1.6 to 11.7% lipid, and 4.9 to 8.0% nitrogen). Very strong relationships were found between percentage moisture and percentage lipid (r = -0.969) and percentage moisture and percentage N (r = 0.968). Strong relationships were found between specific gravity and percentage lipid (r = -0.872) and specific gravity and percentage N (r = 0.857). Specific gravity is recommended as a means to estimate carcass fat in broiler chickens.