4 Practical Ways to Improve Broiler Chicken Carcass Quality
Improve broiler carcass quality with four farm practices: probiotics, katuk extract, feed and stunting prevention, then check the signs of a good carcass.
Selling high-quality broiler chicken carcasses is the key to a poultry farmer's success. When the carcasses handed to buyers are poor, buyers get disappointed and do not come back. Whether the carcass meat is good depends on how the chickens were raised on the farm. Poor husbandry means poor carcass quality. Beyond that, farmers can take several steps to improve broiler quality. Here are ways farmers can improve broiler chicken carcass quality:
Contents
The Right Probiotics
Many kinds of probiotics are sold on the market. Farmers should note that not every probiotic is good for chickens. They need to choose carefully and pick one the birds tolerate, because an unsuitable probiotic can cause reactions such as diarrhea, vomiting and bloating.
Use Katuk Leaves
Katuk (sweet leaf) leaves are not only good for breastfeeding mothers. They also help improve broiler carcass quality. The better the carcass, the higher its selling price. To improve carcass quality with katuk leaves, take an extract or juice from the leaves and mix it into the chickens' drinking water.
Optimal Feed
Giving optimal feed is another way farmers can improve broiler carcass quality. Farmers need to know which nutrients the chickens need in each growth period, so the birds never lack what they need to grow and develop. Feeding also needs supervision so the feed is distributed evenly to all the broilers.
Avoid Stunting
To keep carcass selling prices high, farmers need to watch for stunting, which broilers are prone to. Many things can cause stunting in broilers, for example genetic defects. To prevent it, farmers must select truly high-quality chicks. Stunting can also be caused by a virus, so it is important to keep the coop and the farm environment clean and sanitary. A stunted chicken grows slowly, so as a carcass it will weigh little and be small.
Traits of a Quality Broiler Carcass
Quality broilers produce quality carcass meat. Quality carcass meat is in demand with consumers, so farmers do not have to hunt for a target market. The market comes to them. These are the traits of quality carcass meat that consumers look for:
Does Not Shrink When Cooked
One trait of quality carcass meat is that it does not shrink when cooked. Much broiler meat shrinks in cooking, so its weight ends up far below what it was raw.
Nutrients Stay Intact
When carcass meat shrinks only a little, its nutrients stay well preserved. Carcass meat that shrinks excessively does not keep them as well.
No Defects
Quality carcass meat has no defects. Lower-quality meat shows defects in certain parts, which can reduce the quality of the carcass.
To produce quality carcass meat, farmers must improve the quality of the broilers themselves. Quality broilers become quality carcass meat, and the reverse is also true: broiler carcass quality will be poor if it comes from poor broilers.
Read also: 5 Key Analyses for Laying Hen Farming
