Table 4. The effects of increasing stocking density on carcass characteristics and internal organs (g, unless stated otherwise) of Ross 308 broiler chickens.

	1Stocking density rates						P value
2Parameters	SD10	SD15	SD20	SD25	SD30	3SEM	GLM	Linear	Quadratic
FBW	2194cb	2324c	1866a	1902ab	1916ab	79.21	0.001	0.003	0.464
Carcass yield (%)	77.34d	72.46a	83.59e	76.67c	75.98b	2.27	0.044	0.861	0.350
HCW	1698.50	1664.6	1564.3	1459.3	1456.5	51.34	0.007	0.0003	0.763
Breast	362.6	386.9	369.3	335.8	335.2	15.16	0.109	0.039	0.265
Wing	84.19cd	87.62d	82.80bc	76.28ab	75.37a	2.55	0.012	0.002	0.300
Thigh	128.6	128.2	123.3	115.0	115.8	4.90	0.174	0.017	0.953
Drumstick	99.42b	98.91b	94.60ab	87.28a	88.48ab	2.83	0.015	0.001	0.968
Liver	39.17	40.39	36.80	36.38	35.83	1.28	0.090	0.016	0.941
Gizzard	30.22	28.90	29.75	28.59	27.87	0.89	0.385	0.083	0.805
Spleen	2.497	2.428	2.296	2.165	2.200	0.129	0.334	0.040	0.659
Proventriculus	8.448	7.699	7.867	7.857	7.701	0.26	0.269	0.119	0.311
Heart	12.39	12.34	11.70	10.86	11.47	0.47	0.167	0.037	0.533
Duodenum	18.16ab	18.65b	17.92ab	16.38a	16.92a	0.47	0.017	0.007	0.710
Jejunum	30.23	29.47	28.73	28.52	26.95	0.89	0.157	0.011	0.738
Ileum	26.43	24.44	22.81	21.43	21.92	1.33	0.091	0.007	0.290
Caecum	13.79	13.84	14.39	14.55	13.55	0.42	0.426	0.865	0.125
Colon	3.016	2.704	3.078	3.114	2.590	0.26	0.519	0.599	0.446

^a,b,c,dMeans with common superscripts do not differ (P > 0.05).

¹Stocking density rates: SD10 = stocking density of 10 birds/pen; SD15 = stocking density of 15 birds/pen; SD20 = stocking density of 20 birds/pen; SD25 = stocking density of 25 birds/pen; SD30 = stocking density of 30 birds/pen.

²Parmeters: FBW = Final body weight; HCW = Hot carcass weight.

³SEM = standard error of the mean.