The effect of strain, breeding system and sex on body weight, carcass and leg yield, and morphologic aspects of skeletal muscle fibers of flexor hallucis longus muscle of broiler chickens was evaluated in this study. The experiment consisted of a 4x2x2 factorial arrangement of treatments, with four strains (Ross-308, Naked Neck Label Rouge, Caipirinha and Paraiso Pedrês), two breeding systems (confinement and semi-confinement) and two sexes, with two replicates per treatment, considering each bird selected randomly at 56 days of age an experimental unit, with a total of 64 birds. Ross strain had the highest values of body weight, weights of legs and meat of legs and weight of flexor hallucis longus muscle and highest values of carcass yield and meat of leg yield. The higher muscle mass of birds selected for high growth is related to an increase in the area of the three types of muscle fibers evaluated (SO, FOG and FG). Males presented higher muscle mass and a musculature higher in fast-glycolityc-type fibers than females. Semi-confined system modified the composition of skeletal muscle fibers of males, increasing the oxidative-type fibers. However this effect was not observed in females.
broiler chickens; exercise; muscle fiber; semi-confined; strain
