Comparison of carcass composition by parts and tissues between cocks and capons

The effect of caponisation on carcass composition by parts and tissues was examined. Twenty-eight castrated and twenty male Penedesenca Negra chicks reared under free-range conditions were slaughtered at 28 weeks of age. The birds were castrated at 4 or 8 weeks. The left sides of the carcasses were quartered (wing, breast, thigh and drumstick), and the parts dissected into the tissue components (skin, subcutaneous fat, intermuscular fat, muscle, bone and tendons). Capons showed more abdominal, intermuscular and subcutaneous fat than the cocks, both at the same slaughter age and at the same weight. The breast and thigh were heavier in the capons than in the cocks. However, the whole muscle mass in the breast was increased by caponisation. This favourable effect was achieved at the expense of decreasing the carcass yield. The age of castration up to 8 weeks did not affect the carcass composition of the parts and tissues. chicken / capon / carcass / tissue composition Rsum -Comparaison du rendement la dcoupe et de la composition tissulaire des carcasses de coqs et de chapons. Vingt huit chapons et vingt coqs de la race Penedesenca Negra ont t levs sur parcours et abattus l'ge de 28 semaines. Le chaponnage des poulets a t ralis deux ges diffrents : 4 ou 8 semaines. Aprs l'abattage, les morceaux (aile, pilon, cuisse et filet) correspondant la moiti gauche de la carcasse ont t prlevs et dissqus en sparant la peau, le tissu adipeux sous-cutan, le tissu adipeux intermusculaire, les muscles, les os et les tendons. Par comparaison avec les coqs abattus au mme ge ou de mme poids, les chapons prsentent une quantit de gras abdominal sous-cutan et intermusculaire plus leve. Le poids de leur filet est galement suprieur. En revanche, leur rendement en carcasse est infrieur. L'ge au chaponnage n'a pas d'effet sur le rendement la dcoupe, ni sur la composition tissulaire de la carcasse.