The present study was conducted to investigate
the effects of outdoor access on the growth performance
and meat quality of broiler chickens. Thirtyfive-
day-old female broilers were divided into 3 groups
with 6 replicates of 124 birds each: (1) birds reared indoors
(control group); (2) birds reared with outdoor access
since 36 d of age (35-d group); and (3) birds reared
with outdoor access since 71 d of age (70-d group). The
results showed that outdoor access had no effect on
growth performance, carcass yield, meat yield, muscle
protein content, muscle fiber characteristics, or waterholding
capacity (P > 0.05). Chickens from the outdoor
access groups had a better appearance and degree of
evenness. Birds in the outdoor access groups had a significantly
lower lung percentage than birds in the control
group (P < 0.05), whereas the kidney percentage of
the 35-d group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The meat of chickens in the
35-d group had higher L* values than that of the control
group (P < 0.05). Compared with rearing indoors,
outdoor access significantly increased the shear force of
the breast muscle in both the 35 d and 70-d group (P <
0.05) and decreased the fat content of the thigh muscle
in the case of 35-d group (P < 0.05). Birds in the 35-d
group also had lower fat content in their thigh muscles
than did the birds in the 70-d group (P < 0.05). The
thigh muscles of the birds in the 35-d group showed
lower levels of MUFA and higher levels of PUFA than
those of the control group and 70-d group (P < 0.05).
In conclusion, outdoor access had no effect on growth
performance and yield traits but could improve the
meat quality; birds reared with outdoor access from 36
d of age had better appearance and meat quality than
those with outdoor access from 71 d of age.