Authors : M.H.D. Mareko , S.J. Nsoso and N. Lebetwa
Abstract: The present study was conducted to determine the effects of floor finish on carcass yield and meat chemical composition of guinea fowls (Numida meleagris) at different ages in Botswana. More than 60 keets were raised under an intensive system for four weeks. Keets were fed starter mash and water ad lib. At week 5, keets were allocated to 2 treatments (n=30 each); concrete and bare soil floor partitions within a house. Keets on concrete floor were raised under deep litter. Growers` mash and water were fed ad lib until week 26. From weeks 16-26, three birds were slaughtered from each treatment. Moisture, Dry Matter (DM), Crude Protein (CP) and ash were determined on the breast muscle. Minerals potassium (K), sodium (Na), Phosphorus (P) and Calcium (Ca) were also determined. Data were subjected to ANOVA. Dressing Out Percentage (DOP) ranged between 48.64-74.47% for the soil floor group and 69.32-86.71% for the concrete floor. DM increased significantly with age for both concrete (25.48-45.56%) and soil (27.09-43.07%) floors. Moisture content decreased significantly with age for both concrete (74.53-54.44%) and soil (72.92-56.94%) floors. CP ranged from 68.18-86.65% for concrete floor and 80.34-87.24% for soil floor. The soil floor birds had significantly higher ash content throughout the study period. Generally CP, K, Na, P and Ca contents were comparable for both groups with age. Birds` DOP of over 70% and meat composition compared well with conventional meats, thus their meat can be successfully marketed as a `white` meat alternative.
M.H.D. Mareko , S.J. Nsoso and N. Lebetwa , 2008. Nutritive Value of Meat of Guinea Fowl Raised on Concrete and Bare Soil Floors from 16-26 Weeks of Age . Research Journal of Animal Sciences, 2: 5-11.