Effects Of Different Amount Of Exercise On Growth,Slaughter Performance,Meat Quality And Welfare Conditions Of Yangzhou Geese

Intensive poultry breeding methods,such as cage breeding and high-density breeding,have had a positive impact on livestock and poultry meat production in China.However,these methods have also affected animal welfare,leading to issues such as joint and muscle damage due to limited poultry movement.In European and American countries,consumers are increasingly paying attention to not only the health,quality,and taste of poultry products,but also the welfare of the animals.Consequently,there has been a rise in demand for free-range poultry products.Freeranging has been reported to improve the quality,composition,and taste of chicken due to more opportunities for exercise,but excessive exercise can also negatively impact production parameters such as body weight,feed intake,and feed conversion rate of broilers.As herbivorous poultry,geese can benefit from increased exercise and the opportunity to consume a wider range of fresh and diverse plant foods under free-range conditions.However,the extent to which exercise can improve body weight,feed conversion rate,nutritional composition,and muscle fiber characteristics of meat in geese has not been fully explored.In this study,28-day-old Yangzhou geese were used as the research object.The captive group and different grazing distance groups(200m,50m)were set up,and the amount of exercise was calculated by wearing a pedometer.The average amount of exercise in the three groups was 2736 steps/d,5777 steps/d and 4520 steps/d,respectively.The effects of different amounts of exercise on the growth and development,meat performance and quality and welfare status of Yangzhou geese were discussed.The results not only provide effective technical parameters for the free-range breeding of meat geese,but also lay a theoretical foundation for meeting the growing demand for high-quality poultry meat The findings are as follows:1.The effects of exercise intensity on growth and development,slaughter performance and feed conversion rate of Yangzhou geeseIn order to explore the effects of different exercise levels on growth and development,slaughter performance and feed conversion rate of Yangzhou geese,the body weight,slaughter performance and feed intake at 70 days of age were compared under different exercise levels.The results showed that the number of movement steps of geese in free range mode was significantly higher than that of geese in the enclosure(P>0.05),and the average daily steps of geese in longdistance range group reached 5776.97 steps.At 70 days of age,the body weight of geese in freerange mode was higher than that of geese in the pen(P>0.05).The pre-slaughter live weight,slaughter weight,semi-eviscerated weight and eviscerated weight of free-range geese were significantly higher than those of geese raised in the pen(P<0.05).The abdominal fat weight of geese reared in the enclosure was significantly lower than that of geese reared in free range(P<0.05),while the gizzard weight was significantly higher than that of geese reared in close range and long range(P<0.05).However,the breast muscle rate and leg muscle rate of geese raised in the enclosure were significantly lower than those of free-range geese.In addition,exercise distance also significantly affected the leg muscle yield of geese.The leg muscle weight(rate)of geese in long-distance stocking was the largest and significantly larger than that in close stocking(P<0.05).This suggests that we free-range geese have an advantage in body weight and meat production,and the greater the amount of exercise,the greater the weight of the goose leg muscle.2.The effects of exercise on meat quality and muscle fiber characteristics of Yangzhou geeseIn order to explore the effects of different exercise levels on meat quality and muscle fiber characteristics of Yangzhou geese,the changes of meat quality and nutritional components of Yangzhou geese under different exercise levels were compared.The pH24h value of free-range geese was significantly lower than that of in-house geese(P=0.018),and the pH24h value of breast muscle of long-range geese was significantly lower than that of close-range geese.There was no significant difference in meat color(L*,a*,b*),tenderness and water loss rate among the three groups(P>0.05).In terms of moisture content of goose meat,a significant interaction between groups and muscle tissue was observed.The muscle fiber characteristics of breast muscle and leg muscle(soleus,extensor digitorum longus and gastrocnemius)of Yangzhou geese were compared.In the three groups,the diameter of soleus muscle fiber of free-range geese was significantly larger than that of in-ring geese(P<0.05),while the diameter of extensor digitorum longus muscle and gastrocnemius muscle fiber of long-distance geese was significantly larger than that of in-ring geese and close-range geese(P<0.05).In addition,the perimysium of extensor digitorum longus of geese reared in close range was significantly larger than that of geese reared in long range and pen(P<0.05).With the increase of exercise,there is almost no difference in muscle fiber type,and the muscle tissue of geese is mainly composed of fast muscles.The results suggested that the muscle fibers of the geese in the stocking group were more developed,and the diameter of the extensor digitorum longus and gastrocnemius muscle fibers in the long-distance feeding group was thicker than that in the short-distance feeding group.3.The effects of exercise on welfare indicators such as feather quality,walking ability and behavior changes of Yangzhou geese.In order to explore the effects of different exercise intensities on the welfare indexes of Yangzhou geese,such as feather quality,walking ability and behavior changes,the changes of welfare indexes of Yangzhou geese under different exercise intensities were compared.The results showed that the cleanliness of the back feathers of geese reared in the pen was significantly lower than that of geese reared at a distance(P<0.05),while the cleanliness of the chest and abdomen feathers of geese reared at a distance and close distance was significantly higher than that of geese reared in the pen(P<0.05).The degree of feather damage in geese reared in pens was the highest,which was significantly higher than that in geese reared freely(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the degree of feather damage between long-distance stocking and close stocking geese(P>0.05).The amount of exercise had a significant effect on the goose’s single foot standing behavior,feather pecking behavior and walking behavior frequency(P<0.05).Among them,the pecking frequency of geese in the house feeding group was significantly higher than that in the free stocking group(P<0.05),while the frequency of single foot standing and walking behavior of geese in the free stocking group was significantly higher than that in the house feeding group(P<0.05).The results suggest that increasing the amount of goose exercise will improve the welfare of geese,which is conducive to the health and growth of geese.There was no significant difference in welfare indicators between long-distance stocking and close stocking.In summary,free-range geese exhibit advantages in terms of feed conversion rate,body weight,and meat production,with increased exercise resulting in a higher goose leg muscle rate.The geese in the stocking group showed more developed muscle fibers and lower water content.Increasing the amount of exercise will enhance the welfare status of geese,contributing to their overall health and growth.Therefore,increasing the amount of exercise in geese production is beneficial in improving their welfare status,slaughter performance,and meat quality.