The Effects of Sex, Age, and Feed on Tensile Strength of Broiler Skin

Skins from male and female broilers, aged 6.5 to 8.5 weeks at slaughter, fed on the different energy:protein (E/P) rations, were measured for fat content and tensile strength. Tensile strength of both male and female broiler skins increased with age. The tensile strength of male skins was higher than that of females (1078 g vs. 842 g, average, respectively). Female skins contained more fat than males (36.9 vs. 32.2%, average, respectively). Dietary E/P rations did not consistently affect skin fat content or tensile strength. In spite of the skin’s fat tendency to increase with age, tensile strength increased with age. Therefore, other factors play a role in determining tensile strength in broilers.