Comparison of the carcass traits of White Pekin ducks raised under different bedding materials from hatch to day 42

There has been immense growth in the global poultry industry that should be maintained to match the current preference of consumers for animal protein. Such growth also calls for a better understanding of factors that could influence production such as litter. Ducks spend their entire rearing period in contact with the litter material provided. It is therefore vital to investigate the effect that the different commercially available bedding materials could have on production parameters such as growth performance and carcass quality. There is a huge variety of materials that could be used as bedding materials for ducks. However, there are scanty details on the effects that the different commercially available bedding materials could have on the carcass traits of White Pekin ducks. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether the different commercially available bedding materials including i) coco peat, ii) rice husks, or iii) sawdust could affect the carcass traits of ducks over 42 days.

A total of 288 one-day-old White Pekin ducklings (60.48±0.16 g) were randomly allotted to 24 cages with 8 replicates per treatment. 12 birds were housed per cage and subjected to the same feeding and environmental conditions over a 6-week period. The birds were fed over two growth periods as follows: starter (1-3wks) and grower (3-6wks) together with water ad-libitum. The birds were sacrificed on day 42 for the evaluation of the total carcass, breast and drumstick percentages. Breast and drumstick samples were then analyzed for the proximate compositions (dry matter, crude protein, ether extract and ash) as well as the pH. Collected data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA technique for statistical significance at P< 0.05.

No significant differences were recorded for the effect of the different bedding materials on the carcass, drumstick and breast percentages. A similar pattern of non-significance was also noticed for the proximate components (dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, crude ash). The recorded pH of the breast muscle was P< 0.05 reduced in birds raised under rice husks with neither significant nor marginal effects being noted for the drumstick pH values that were also evaluated.

The use of differential bedding materials does not alter the carcass relative proportions and muscle chemical compositions of White Pekin ducks.

Key words: bedding, carcass, coco peat, rice husks, proximate, sawdust.