RESULTS OF MEAT YIELD PRODUCED FROM GUINEA FOWL SLAUGHTERED AT DIFFERENT AGES

D.C. Roşca, M.G. Usturoi

Abstract
    Exploitation of Guinea fowl in intensive farming has broad development prospects due to the increasing demand of consumers for the meat and eggs yielded from this species, but also for the very valuable biological features.
    In the present paper we intend to analyze the quantitative production of meat obtained from guinea-fowl slaughtered at different ages. The studied biological material was represented by 50 heads of gray Guinea fowl (Numida Meleagris), reared by species-specific technology. The actual determinations were performed on 31 individuals (10 males and 21 females) who were slaughtered at the age of 77 and 91 days, respectively.
    The target indicators were body weight at slaughter time, fresh and maturated carcass weight, weight and the proportion of cut parts in whole carcass formation, determined in accordance with the poultry research methodology. The data were statistically processed using the Anova (Analysis of variance) program.
    At the time of slaughter at the age of 77 days, body weight of Guinea fowl was between 1545.04g and 2250.12g; at the age of 91 days, body weight oscillated between a minimum of 2100.35g and a maximum of 2555.05g.
    The growth of guinea-pigs can be seen as a profitable business with the use of modern technologies, but also of good quality biological material.

Key words: guinea fowl, carcase, cut parts, slaughter