Prediction of Abdominal Fat in Broiler Chickens Using Wing Web and Humeral Feather Tract Measurements

Abstract

Correlation coefficients between abdominal fat and two skin measurements were obtained from 314 male and 347 female broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Wing web thicknesses were measured at 49 days of age, broilers were slaughtered at 50 days of age, and humeral feather tract pinches were measured after thawing but before evisceration. Correlation coefficients between wing web thickness and abdominal fat weight were r = +.14 for males and r = +.05 for females. Correlations for humeral tract pinch with abdominal fat weight were r = +.12 and +.17 (males) and r = +.18 and +.13 (females) for tracts on left and right shoulder regions, respectively. Abdominal fat was expressed as precentage of live weight to reduce variation in weight between birds. Correlation coefficients between wing web thickness and percentage abdominal fat were r = +.09 for males and r = +.01 for females. Correlations for the humeral feather tract pinch with percentage abdominal fat were r = +.07 and +.14 (males) and r = +.10 and +.05 (females) for left and right shoulder regions, respectively. Correlation coefficients indicate that wing web and humeral feather tract thickness are not useful for estimating abdominal fat weight and percentage.