Improving the quality of meat in poultry flocks

Amid rising demand for poultry products, the focus is now shifting to quality.

Farmers are under increased pressure to improve the welfare and quality of the birds they deliver to the market.

Here are some areas that farmers can concentrate on to reduce farm damage to chickens and increase the quality of meat.

Avoid emaciation: Ensure high-quality feed meets the energy requirements of the flock during the growth and finishing stages. Feed must be weighed daily and provided at the recommended rate of grams per bird per day, according to the type of bird and breed standard.

Feeder trays should be allowed to dry out completely for a maximum of 2-3 hours per day to enable birds to consume all the fine feed rich in minerals and amino acids.

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  Key tips for beginners in poultry farming

To prevent emaciation in your broilers, monitor the body weights on day seven; it is crucial to maintain uniform brooding conditions for all the birds, both at night and during the day. If you achieve a day seven weight of 160-180g in 80 per cent of your flock, you are on the right path to good uniformity and better body conformation. This requires attention to detail, a conducive environment, high-quality chicks, and robust feed quality.

Minimise septic wounds on the skin and ammonia burns: The three most important farm inputs in a chicken house are the provision of clean, portable drinking water; good quality and well-balanced feed; and well-taken-care-of, dry, friable litter or bedding. Dry litter will prevent ammonia burns on the feet, breast, hocks and skin and fewer physical injuries that could get infected easily. Ensure the units are well aerated and water is chlorinated weekly to avoid infections.

Avoid ‘Green muscle disease’: Also called Deep Pectoral Myopathy (DPM), it is a degenerative condition in broilers arising from loss of blood supply to the inner breast muscle, making them appear green at slaughter. Rapid, continuous wing flapping results in extra blood flow to the inner breast muscle. The extra pressure exerted on the muscle by the increased blood supply cuts off the blood supply to the muscle, and the muscle dries up or dies.

Since green muscle disease arises due to vigorous wing flapping, the best prevention is to adopt management practices that minimise wing flapping in the broiler flock. When depleting the flocks, catching the first batches should occur gently by raising the feeders and drinkers slowly. If you have migration fences in the broiler house, move slowly around them, as birds tend to gather around them. Moving too quickly may cause birds to panic and result in wing flapping.

Avoid over-scalding: Scalding is the process of immersing slaughtered chicken in a tank of hot water to loosen the feathers and make it easier for them to be plucked. Duration and temperature of the water are critical in this process. It is advisable to keep the temperatures at 56-58 degrees Celsius for 1-2 minutes. Some farmers boil water at 100 degrees Celsius and scald chickens more than necessary. This will result in loss of the attractive yellow colour, shortening of muscles, and loosening of the skin. Control ectoparasites: Of all the intrusive parasites, lice are by far the most common non-flying parasites in commercial poultry operations. These are followed by bedbugs, which occasionally infest chickens, causing loss of blood (anaemia) and skin damage. Free-range chickens are more prone to jiggers, causing skin lesions that result in the downgrading of meat products. Make sure that your poultry unit is disinfected, clean, and free of ectoparasites. This is important because the insects are difficult to kill once they invade your flock.

[Dr Messo is the company veterinarian, Kenchic; [email protected]]