The effect of broiler breeder age on performance and carcass yield of chickens reared until 49 days of age was evaluated. Three thousand and six hundred day-old chicks, from Ross x Ross breeder flocks, were assigned to a completely randomized design, in a 5×2 factorial (five broiler breeder ages - 29, 41, 58, 68 and 98 weeks and two sexes) with four replicates of 90 birds each. At 21, 28, 35, 42 and 49 days of age, 5 birds per pen were randomly sampled and processed after a period of 8 hours of feed withdrawal to evaluate carcass and parts yield. Breeder age affected (P<.05) broiler performance during the starter period (1 to 21 days), with birds from breeders with 29 weeks of age showing smaller performance. Carcass and part yields were not affected (P>.05) by breeder age, but broilers from breeders aging 29 weeks showed larger breast yield than broilers originated from breeders with 58 weeks. No differences (P>.05) were observed for other breeder ages. Sex of the broiler chicken affected (P<.05) the performance and carcass yield and parts.
broiler chicken; performance; broiler breeder age; carcass yield
