Effects of maize silage feeding on growth performance, carcass characteristics, digestive system length, chemical composition, and meat quality of domestic geese.

This study aimed to explore the effects of corn silage (CS) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, digestive system length, and some meat quality traits of geese. A total of 35 19-week-old Turkish indigenous male geese with similar body weight were randomly divided into five groups with individual pens of seven geese per group and fed for 84 D. The treatments were composed of a basal diet (100% concentrate feed) without corn silage (0CS), 10% CS + 90% concentrate feed (10CS), 20% corn silage + 80% concentrate feed (20CS), 30% corn silage + 70% concentrate feed (30CS), and 40% corn silage + 60% concentrate feed (40CS). Dietary CS supplementation did not affect growth performance, dressing percentage, liver and gizzard weights, digestive system length of geese, and the organoleptic quality characteristics of meat. The 0CS and 20CS geese had a higher instrumental hardness value than other treatment geese (p < 0.05). Also, the 40CS group had the lowest hardness value (p < 0.05). Adhesiveness value was lower in the 0CS group compared to all silage treatments (p < 0.05). Gumminess value was lower in the 40CS group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The 10CS treatment reduced the L value of thigh and breast meat compared with those of the other treatments (p < 0.05). The a and b color values and pH values of breast and thigh meats were not affected by dietary CS supplementation (p > 0.05). Fat content of the meat decreased in the 30CS treatment compared to 0CS (p < 0.05). The results of the present study suggest that corn silage could be used up to 40% in the Turkish goose variety diet, without affecting the performance and meat quality, and thus, geese can be produced more economically.