Research Collection Doctoral Thesis Meat and egg production with dual-purpose poultry: biological background, feed requirements and efficiency, meat and egg quality Author(s): Müller, Sabine Karin Publication Date: 2018 Permanent Link: https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000340446 Rights / License: In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted This page was generated automatically upon download from the ETH Zurich Research Collection. For more information please consult the Terms of use. ETH Library DISS. ETH NO. 25564 Meat and egg production with dual-purpose poultry: biological background, feed requirements and efficiency, meat and egg quality A thesis submitted to attain the degree of DOCTOR OF SCIENCES of ETH ZURICH (Dr. sc. ETH Zurich) presented by Sabine Mueller MSc ETH Agrarwissenschaften, ETH Zurich born on 02.12.1986 citizien of Amriswil, TG accepted on the recommendation of Prof. Dr. Michael Kreuzer, examiner Dr. Ruth E. Messikommer, co-examiner Dr. Barbara Eichenberger, co-examiner 2018 Unsere Leidenschaften sind nicht zufällig, sie sind unsere Berufung. Fabienne Frederickson ________________________________________________________________Table of contents Table of contents Table of contents ....................................................................................................................... 1 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ 6 List of figures ............................................................................................................................ 7 List of tables .............................................................................................................................. 8 Summary ................................................................................................................................. 10 Zusammenfassung .................................................................................................................. 12 Chapter 1 General introduction .............................................................................................................. 15 1.1 Possible alternatives to chick culling ......................................................................... 17 1.1.1 Dual-purpose poultry .......................................................................................... 18 1.1.2 Fattening the male layer cockerels ..................................................................... 18 1.1.3 In ovo sex determination .................................................................................... 19 1.1.4 Altering the secondary sex ratio ......................................................................... 19 1.2 The situation in Switzerland ...................................................................................... 19 1.3 Dual-purpose poultry and the feed no food concept .................................................. 20 1.4 Product quality ........................................................................................................... 23 1.5 Thesis outline and aim of the project ......................................................................... 23 1.6 Design of the project .................................................................................................. 24 Chapter 2 Carcass and meat quality of dual-purpose chickens (Lohmann Dual, Belgian Malines, Schweizerhuhn) in comparison to broiler and layer chicken types ................................... 25 2.1 Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 26 2.2 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 26 2.3 Materials and methods ............................................................................................... 28 2.3.1 Experimental design, animals and housing ........................................................ 28 2.3.2 Measurements and sampling .............................................................................. 31 2.3.3 Feed and excreta analysis ................................................................................... 32 2.3.4 Bone analysis ...................................................................................................... 32 1 Table of contents _______________________________________________________________ 2.3.5 Meat analysis ...................................................................................................... 32 2.3.6 Calculations and statistical analysis ................................................................... 33 2.4 Results ....................................................................................................................... 33 2.4.1 Growth performance .......................................................................................... 33 2.4.2 Carcass characteristics ........................................................................................ 35 2.4.3 Bone characteristics ............................................................................................ 36 2.4.4 Meat quality ........................................................................................................ 37 2.5 Discussion .................................................................................................................. 39 2.5.1 Growth Performance and Feed Efficiency ......................................................... 39 2.5.2 Carcass Quality .................................................................................................. 40 2.5.3 Meat Quality ....................................................................................................... 41 2.5.4 Bone Characteristics ........................................................................................... 43 2.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 44 Chapter 3 Growth, carcass and meat quality of two dual-purpose chicken types and a layer type fattened for 67 or 84 days compared with a slow-growing broiler .................................... 45 3.1 Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 46 3.2 Implications ............................................................................................................... 46 3.3 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 47 3.4 Material and methods ................................................................................................ 48 3.4.1 Birds, housing and experimental conditions ...................................................... 48 3.4.2 Fattening and slaughter ...................................................................................... 49 3.4.3 Carcass and meat quality analysis ...................................................................... 49 3.4.4 Statistical analysis .............................................................................................. 50 3.5 Results ....................................................................................................................... 51 3.5.1 Growth performance .......................................................................................... 51 3.5.2 Carcass characteristics ........................................................................................ 53 3.5.3 Meat quality ........................................................................................................ 53 2 ________________________________________________________________Table of contents 3.6 Discussion .................................................................................................................. 57 3.6.1 Competitiveness of dual-purpose types with slow-growing broilers depending on fattening period .................................................................................................. 57 3.6.2 Differences between the two dual-purpose types slaughtered at 67 or 84 days . 59 3.6.3 Competitiveness of the male layer type in growth, carcass and meat quality .... 59 3.7 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 60 3.8 Supplementary material ............................................................................................. 60 3.8.1 Materials and Methods ....................................................................................... 60 3.9 Results and Discussion .............................................................................................. 61 3.9.1 Effects of extending the fattening period of the layer type to 126 days ............. 61 Chapter 4 Do dual-purpose and male layer chickens have a greater resilience against a low-protein- low-soybean diet than slow-growing broilers? .................................................................... 65 4.1 Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 66 4.2 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 66 4.3 Material and methods ...............................................................................................