INFLUENCE OF GENOTYPE ON CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF CHICKENS REARED UNDER SEMI-INTENSIVE SYSTEMS IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE

This study investigated the effect of genotype on carcass characteristics of chickens reared under a semi-intensive system in Côte d’Ivoire. Four genetic types were compared: local chickens from forest and savannah zones, slow-growing Label chickens, and fast-growing industrial broiler chickens. Eighty-six birds were reared under standardized conditions of feeding, housing, and health management. The parameters evaluated included live body weight, carcass weights, edible and non-edible offal, anatomical cuts, lipid deposition, and carcass yield. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. Genotype significantly affected most of the parameters measured (p < 0.05). Label and local chickens, slaughtered at 22 weeks of age, exhibited higher live body weights and carcass weights than broiler chickens slaughtered at 6.5–7 weeks of age. Broilers showed proportionally greater lipid deposition, whereas slow-growing genotypes exhibited a more balanced development of internal organs and skeletal structures. Carcass yield did not differ significantly among genotypes. No significant differences were observed between the Forest and Savannah local ecotypes. These results confirm the zootechnical potential of Ivorian local chickens and highlight their relevance for the development of sustainable poultry production systems adapted to tropical conditions.