Some observations on the normal variations in composition of Light Sussex cockerels

Extract

Individual analyses of forty Light Sussex cockerels of twenty-two weeks of age yielded the following results:

1. There is a highly negative correlation between the fat percentage of the carcass and the moisture percentage.

2. Owing to the large variability in the fat content of individuals, live-weight increases are unreliable as a measure of energy storage.

3. Comparison of the fat content of the bones with that of the flesh and offal leads to the conclusion that the bones as well as the flesh and offal play a significant role in the general fat metabolism of the body.

4. There exists a strongly positive correlation between the ash content of the bones and that of the flesh and offal.

5. The protein ash ratio of both the Light Sussex breed and the White Leghorn breed is practically constant for all individuals after the age of seven weeks, indicating that the growth of the skeletal and the muscular tissues are closely correlated and controlled by the same growth impulse.

6. The individual variation in energy content is shown to be ± 11.42% of the total energy content.