The effect of age on the growth rate of tissues and organs and the percentage content of edible and nonedible carcass components in Pekin ducks.

Age has a significant effect on carcass tissue composition, which is an important consideration in slaughter animals because age-related changes are observed in both edible and nonedible carcass components. In this study, the above changes were analyzed in Pekin ducks. The weight of individual edible and nonedible components in ducks increased for different periods of time, and the growth rate of tissue components varied considerably. The percentage content of edible components in the total BW of Pekin ducks increased from 42.8% in wk 1 to 59.9% in wk 8, mostly due to a significant (13.3%) increase in the share of muscle tissue. The percentage content of skin and subcutaneous fat remained at a stable level from wk 4, whereas the share of giblets decreased from 6 wk of age. The percentage content of nonedible components in the total BW of Pekin ducks decreased from 48.6% in wk 1 to 34.6% in wk 8, mainly due to a decrease in slaughter offal content (from 39.7% in wk 1 to 27.2% in wk 8). Minor changes were noted in the proportion of bones (11.7% in wk 1 and 10.9% in wk 8).