Effect of breed, sex and age on body and Internal organ weight of chickens for food security in resource poor communities of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

The study aimed to compare the effect of sex, breed and age on the body weight and internal organ weights of chickens reared in resource-poor communities. A total of 120 chickens were used, comprising of three breeds namely broilers (n=40), Potchefstroom Koekoek (n=40) and a nondescriptive breed (n=40). Each breed was divided into 20 females and 20 males, subsequently categorized by age, resulting in 10 growers and 10 mature chickens for each breed. The results showed that grower and mature broilers had a heaviest ( body weight compared to Potchefstroom Koekoek and non-descriptive breed (. Breed significantly influenced body weight (p<0.001). Males were generally heavier than females (p>0.05). Liver weight was higher in females than males and liver weight was not affected by sex. A linear relationship (p<0.05) existed between body weight and breed, sex and age. A negative coefficient was recorded between body weight and breed but sex and age showed a positive coefficient for body weight of chickens. Age had the strongest relationship on chicken&#63;s body weight and liver weight compared to breed and sex. The proportion of variance in the dependent variables (body weight, liver weight, gizzard weight, heart weight, intestine weight and intestine length) was predicted from the independent variables (breed, sex and age). A (64%) variance in body weight can be expected from breed, sex and age, and there was a (64%) association between body weight and breed, sex and age. The study concludes that breed and age affect the body weight and internal organ weight of chickens but not sex. The study recommends more research and focus on chickens in resource-poor communities irrespective of breed sex and age while focusing on their quantity of meat and internal organs for their potential contribution to food security.