Effects of stocking density on growth performance, meat quality and tibia development of Pekin ducks

This study was performed to investigate the effects of stocking density on performance, meat quality and tibia development in Pekin ducks reared on a plastic wire floor. A total of 372 healthy, 21-day-old, male ducks with similar body weight (BW) were randomly allotted to stocking densities of five (low), eight (medium) and 11 (high) birds/m(2). Each group had six replicates. Results showed that compared with the low density group, medium and high stocking density caused a decrease in final BW at 42days old, and in average daily gain, European performance index (p<.01) and meat pH at 45min postmortem (p<.001), and an increase of meat drip loss (p<.01). High stocking density resulted in an increase of feed/gain ratio (p<.001), but a decrease of tibia calcium (p<.01) and phosphorus content (p<.05). Meat color, shear force values, tibia size (weight, length, and width) and breaking strength were not significantly influenced by stocking density. In conclusion, stocking density over eight birds/m(2) negatively affects growth performance, but meat quality and tibia development are not dramatically influenced. Based on this study, the stocking density of male Pekin ducks should be adjusted between five and eight birds/m(2).