Influence of Broiler Livehaul on Carcass Quality and Further-Processing Yields

Abstract The loss in body weight with the transportation of broilers from live production to slaughter has always influence final product yield and quality. This study explored the extent of that influence. Both sexes of two diverse broiler strain-crosses, reared on common feed to 39 and 53 days of age, had feed withdrawn from each group for four hours followed by cooping. Birds were then either held stationary or transported for six hours with a four-hour preslaughter rest. After “on-line” processing, carcasses were cone deboned at either four or twenty-four hours post-chill. This study found that birds lost more weight when transported than if kept stationary. This live weight differential was maintained through post-chill with the whole carcass and all cuts from deboning. Moisture uptake with chilling and subsequent losses from weepage and cutting were unaffected by livehaul. Carcass bruising was more extensive when birds had been kept stationary than if transported. Responses to livehaul were similar for each strain, with both sexes, and at both light and heavy weights.