Slaughter age and carcass traits of pheasants

This study was conducted to determine growth performance and carcass traits of pheasants at different slaughter ages. Day-old male and female chicks of a native pheasant genotype were used in the trial. The pheasants were grown in a floor rearing system. Birds were slaughtered at 13, 14 and 15 weeks of age. The differences between the live weights of male and female pheasants were found to be significant (P < 0.05) at all slaughter ages. The average live weights of male and female birds combined were 868.69 +/- 26.78, 927.19 +/- 34.59 and 982.87 +/- 42.59 g for the 13th, 14th and 15th week of age, respectively. Feed efficiency was recorded as 4.60, 4.88 and 5.14 for the same slaughtering ages. The slaughter yield and the percentages of breast, thighs and edible internal organs were determined at the 13th, 14th and 15th week of age as 74.19%, 73.13% and 74.30%; 35.90%, 35.85% and 35.55%; 30.12%, 30.97 and 29.13%; 5.93%, 5.83% and 6.03%, respectively.