CARCASS AND MEAT QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF <i>SIRUVIDAI</i> CHICKEN REARED IN DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF TAMIL NADU

The current study was designed to evaluate the carcass and meat quality characteristics of Siruvidai chicken of Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Ariyalur and Perambalur districts of Tamil Nadu. The carcass characteristics namely New-York dressed weight, eviscerated carcass weight, ready-to-cook weight, giblets weight, abdominal fat weight and meat: bone ratio were recorded. No significant differences observed in carcass characteristics among the districts except for pre-slaughter weight and breast yield. A significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher breast yield was recorded from Ariyalur and Perambalur districts. The pH, water holding capacity, shear force value, tyrosine value and thio-barbituric acid (TBA) number did not show significant differences among the districts. The Siruvidai chicken of Tamil Nadu is meant for egg production and mothering ability. From this study, it is concluded that Siruvidai chicken may be utilized economically for meat production and processing.