Influence of feed restriction intensity and duration on carcass characteristics and meat quality of Sasso and Tanbro chickens

This study evaluated the effects of breed, feed restriction (FR) intensity, and FR duration on carcass characteristics and meat quality in Sasso and Tanbro dual-purpose chickens under intensive production. A total of 360 birds were allocated in a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial design (breed: Sasso, Tanbro; FR intensity: 0%, 15%, 25% of ad libitum intake; duration: 21, 28 days), applied during the finishing phase (day 43 to slaughter at 77 days). Breed significantly affected carcass and meat quality traits: Tanbro showed higher slaughter weight, carcass weight, breast and thigh yields, lean proportion, crude protein, and redness (a*), and lower shear force (p < 0.05), while Sasso had higher intramuscular fat and a poorer lean-to-fat ratio (p < 0.01). Increasing FR intensity progressively reduced slaughter weight, dressing percentage, and abdominal fat (p < 0.01), while improving lean-to-fat ratio. Shorter restriction (21 days) increased carcass weight and muscle proportion relative to 28 days (p < 0.01). No breed × restriction interactions were detected for any trait, indicating that Sasso and Tanbro, despite differing in baseline growth rate, respond to quantitative FR through a shared physiological pathway. These findings show that moderate FR (up to 25%) applied over 21–28 days during finishing improves carcass leanness without compromising meat quality, while maintaining commercially viable slaughter weights above 2 kg.