Effects of residual feed intake on the growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and serum biochemical parameters of Cherry Valley ducks

Context Residual feed intake (RFI) is an important indicator for feed efficiency (FE) in poultry nutrition. Aims The present study assessed the impact of RFI on the growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and blood biochemical parameters of Cherry Valley ducks. Methods One thousand healthy male ducks at the age of 14 days were housed in individual cages until slaughter at the age of 42 days. The carcass yield, meat quality, and blood biochemical parameters of 40 ducks with the highest RFI (HRFI) and 40 ducks with the lowest RFI (LRFI) were determined. Key results For growth performance, RFI, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were considerably lower in the LRFI group than in the HRFI group, whereas no significant differences were observed in bodyweight (BW) or bodyweight gain (BWG). In terms of carcass traits and meat quality, the LRFI group had lower abdominal fat content and shear force, and a higher L* value, whereas there were no remarkable differences in other carcass and meat-quality traits between the two groups. For serum biochemical parameters, serum concentrations of cholecystokinin (CCK) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were significantly higher and total cholesterol (TC) and insulin (INS) concentrations were significantly lower in the LRFI group than in the HFRI group. Conclusions These outcomes suggest that choosing Cherry Valley ducks according to low RFI can enhance FE and some serum biochemical indices, without affecting their production performance, and it can reduce abdominal fat content. Implications Our results showed that RFI is a useful tool for breeders to select more efficient ducks for breeding. Future research should focus on exploring how genetic improvements could lead to lower RFI values in ducks, which could enhance the sustainability of the poultry industry.