Influence of feed restriction intensity and duration on carcass characteristics and meat quality of Sasso and Tanbro chickens

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This study evaluated the effects of breed, feed restriction (FR) intensity, and FR duration on carcass characteristics and meat quality in Sasso and Tanbro dual-purpose chickens under intensive production. A total of 360 birds were allocated in a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial design (breed: Sasso, Tanbro; FR intensity: 0%, 15%, 25% of ad libitum intake; duration: 21, 28 days), applied during the finishing phase (day 43 to slaughter at 77 days). Breed significantly affected carcass and meat quality traits: Tanbro showed higher slaughter weight, carcass weight, breast and thigh yields, lean proportion, crude protein, and redness (a*), and lower shear force (p < 0.05), while Sasso had higher intramuscular fat and a poorer lean-to-fat ratio (p < 0.01). Increasing FR intensity progressively reduced slaughter weight, dressing percentage, and abdominal fat (p < 0.01), while improving lean-to-fat ratio. Shorter restriction (21 days) increased carcass weight and muscle proportion relative to 28 days (p < 0.01). No breed × restriction interactions were detected for any trait, indicating that Sasso and Tanbro, despite differing in baseline growth rate, respond to quantitative FR through a shared physiological pathway. These findings show that moderate FR (up to 25%) applied over 21–28 days during finishing improves carcass leanness without compromising meat quality, while maintaining commercially viable slaughter weights above 2 kg.